The president of the Hastings Lions Club is a driving force behind the annual Central Square Apple Festival. The event attracts around 20,000 people each year
By Stefan Yablonski
Sharon Bauer-Aldrich loves helping her community and she isn’t slowing down any time soon.
The Hastings Lions Club is gearing up for the 39th annual Apple Festival — at Brewerton Speedway, 60 US Route 11, Central Square.
Bauer-Aldrich, president of the Hastings Lions Club, is also the chairwoman of Central Square Apple Festival.
The club serves the community within the Central Square School District and the North Shore of Oneida Lake. Its mission is simply to serve the community.
The apple festival is the club’s largest fundraiser and attracts 22,000 – 25,000 people annually. Festival hours will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday Sept. 28 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday Sept. 29.
“Yes, thereabouts,” she said. “We did 20,000 to 25,000 pre-COVID. We’ve been back from COVID a couple of years now and our attendance is still down a little bit. We are at about 15,000 the last year. But the weather wasn’t the greatest last year, either.”
Every year, they are building back up.
“I think last year we had about 160 vendors. We still have a good crowd of vendors,” she said.
Bauer-Aldrich said she has been a Lions member since she moved out to West Monroe.
“So it’s been about 13 years,” she said.
They were previously known as the Lioness Club of Central Square — which began on May 17, 1984.
“We are part of Lions International and a few years ago they decided they didn’t want to support Lioness clubs. I think it was kind of to bring us all together,” she explained.
“It was a hard decision; we had to decide what we wanted to do as a club. Did we want quit Lions altogether and form a different club, did we want to join one of the local Lions or form our own Lions. We ended up forming our own Lions club,” she added.
The Hastings Lions Club’s charter installation was held in June 2021 with 27 members joining the organization.
Currently, they have 26 members — “and are recruiting for more, yes of course, always,” she added.
The Apple Festival is the club’s major fundraising event. It is held on the last full weekend in September. It’s almost the 40th anniversary of the festival.
“We need more (volunteers) than what we have. We are always looking for volunteers to help with set up and tear-down. We have one man in our group, but the rest of us are women. And some women aren’t the youngest,” she said. “I think it’s been so popular because it really is a community event.”
It started out in one of the local parks as a community event and 100% of the proceeds of the festival profits are donated back to the local communities.
“We welcome other local volunteer organizations to come and sell things so they can make some money, too. We know it’s hard for them —Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, churches — a variety of different groups,” she said. “We encourage nonprofit organizations to participate by having a booth of their own. It really is a community event; supporting the community in a variety of different ways!”
Admission is still $5 per carload and parking is free.
“We’ve had motorcycles, cars and buses,” she said. “One year, we had a tractor trailer driver come in with his big rig. He saw the sign on 81 and was looking for some place to stop. And really, where else can you go for just $5 these days (laughs).”
Free shuttle trams will be operated by volunteer drivers.
Golf cart shuttles for the handicapped, courtesy of the locally owned and operated Taco Bell, will also be available.
“We usually get some support from a group of young men (Adult and Teen Challenge). We also have other volunteers, but we like to say they are our muscles. They have been amazing the last couple of years helping us,” she said. “We need help moving some of the heavy stuff in set-up and tear-down and cleanup at the end and we always need help with parking; one person gets turned around in the parking lot and it causes a back up. Members of the State Police, Hastings barracks I believe, help out as well with traffic control. Inside the festival grounds it’s all volunteers.”
The festival features a lot of crafts, free entertainment and demonstrations, amusement rides, games, a variety of food and fun for the entire family.
Call: 315-345-9435 for more information.
‘Semi-retired
“I’m a nurse, semi-retired; but I still work a couple per diem jobs. One for local schools and one for a local pediatrician,” she said.
With the Lions, she does things throughout the year — “our annual Spring Fling Craft and Vendor Show and RADA Knife sales, we help out different organizations as they need it, we help the Central Square Lions with their Christmas baskets give-away. Some of our women are great crotcheters and we donate hats and mittens. I recently joined our legion’s auxiliary. The club also hosts a senior dinner annually that feeds any local senior for free.”
“Our focus is to improve health and well-being, strengthen communities and support those in need through humanitarian services and grants that impact lives globally and encourage peace and international understanding,” she added. “We support local organizations with funding and volunteerism when the chance arises. We have been doing this for our local community for close to 40 years now.”
“I also work with therapy dogs through Go Team Therapy, Crisis and Airport Dogs. Each year, we have to be certified. One of the national instructors comes and puts us through the ropes for a day — makes sure the dogs are all good behavior, they don’t jump on people, they don’t steal your food — they know how to be polite on buses and in airports. It’s a good group. It’s a good group,” she said. “We’ve done a bunch of different schools in the area. Indian reservation schools, local libraries, the VA hospital, SU and Le Moyne College.
“A couple years ago a man was dying at home and he loved dogs. They currently didn’t have any dogs. They contacted our team and we went out there a few times in his last few weeks and visited with him. We go wherever we are needed.”
In her free time, she enjoys traveling, fishing and spending a lot time with family and friends.” She quickly adds, “And of course —volunteering for my community!”
Won’t slow down
“Some day I probably won’t work for money. But I just love my community. I represent our Lions club. I’m on the chamber of commerce, I’m vice president there,” she said. “I just like helping people. I think that’s probably the nurse in me. But I don’t think I’ll slow down any time soon. I don’t want to slow down. I think if you slow down, that’s the end of you.”
Lifelines
Name / Position: Sharon Bauer-Aldrich – President of Hastings Lions Club and Chair of Central Square Apple Festival
Birth Date: Nov. 6, 1960
Birth Place: Utica
Residence: West Monroe
Education: Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration
Affiliations: Hastings Lions Club, Greater Oneida Lake Chamber of Commerce, Center Square American Legion Fuller – Taylor Post 915 Auxiliary
Personal: I am recently married. I have one daughter and two step-children and eight grandchildren. I am a registered nurse, semi-retired
Hobbies: Fishing, traveling, spending time with family and friends and volunteering for my community
