RALEIGH, N.C. – The N.C. State Fair celebrates agriculture and all that it contributes to North Carolina, but the industry has seen undeniable impacts in the western part of the state in the wake of Helene. People might notice it in the lack of apples at the fair this year.
Each year, people enjoy seeing Trey Enloe, a fifth-generation apple farmer from Hendersonville, press fresh cider at the fair. But when Helene hit his hometown, there was a moment when he wondered whether the Cider House would be closed this year.
“We didn't have power 'til, you know, middle of the week last week, so I wasn't sure I was able to get my apple press up and going,” Enloe said.
Enloe is the owner and operator of the Cider House at the N.C. State Fair, and Bright Branch Farms apple grower.
Although the fair is the highlight of their year, cider has been the least of his worries over the past few weeks.
“A lot of people are in, in really bad shape,” Enloe said. “We got banged up on our farm. But just take my parents for instance, their house is unlivable right now.”
Prior to Helene hitting our state, the fair had 300 apple vendors set to bring in their bushels for competitions, sale, and display to the public. Now, the Enloe family is the only one.
“Luckily we had about half of our crop picked, so, I brought a lot of the varieties that were still viable,” Enloe said.
Many of the other growers didn’t have quality fruit to submit this year after half their crop was damaged in the storm. And although there isn’t a huge display of apples mirroring years past, the fact that they’re here at all is a prime example of North Carolina’s resilience.
“I'm so glad they made the trip and the apples are beautiful that they brought,” April Blazich, the horticulture superintendent at the State Fair, said. “Just a reminder that North Carolina's strong. You know, the growers are willing to put up with an awful lot.”
Enloe said fruit on the ground is hurting this year’s revenues, but the biggest hit is the damage to the orchards themselves.
“Guys not only lost this year's crop, but then they lost potentially the next five years to 12 years of producing fruit,” Enloe said. “Annual crop growers, like tomatoes or leafy vegetables, that kind of thing, you know, that's a crop that's lost and you can replant it in the next year and right back in action.”
If you and your family make it out to the fair this year, be sure to stop by the Cider House in Heritage Circle to grab a cup of fresh pressed cider straight from the mountains.
Enloe and other apple growers need support more than ever this year, along with the many people in western North Carolina still recovering from Helene.
The State Fair has created a donate tab on its website where fairgoers can contribute to support disaster relief efforts in Western North Carolina when they purchase their fair tickets. All money collected will go to the MANNA FoodBank of Asheville, which lost its distribution warehouse during Helene.
“We have seen a lot of good help, you know, from friends and family, locally and then across the state, everybody sending, supplies our way and that kind of thing. So you try to be positive where you can,” Enloe said.