Megan Wiles - Conner Prairie Alliance Member

First, allow me to introduce myself.  I’m Megan Wiles and I am serving as Chair of the Apple Store this year along with my co-chair, Jackie Clark.

The Apple Store was first created in 1985 as a project of the newly created Conner Prairie Alliance, a women’s organization that was formed to support Conner Prairie through creative fundraising. We opened the Apple Store in its current location on the north end of the parking lot in 1993 and originally we only sold apples, but now the dedicated women of the Alliance offer much more than just plain apples. We hand-dip the BEST caramel apples in Central Indiana! We also offer apple cider slushies, which are addicting and if you’re not careful, you can get brain freeze really quickly drinking them! We offer apple cider donuts, apple pie and gourmet caramel apples – apples covered in caramel, then in nuts, then with dark and white chocolate drizzled over them and sometimes we even add sprinkles!!  I think I gain a few pounds just looking at them.   

The Apple Store is only open for eight weeks, so we definitely stay busy! In 2009, the Apple Store sold:
-  14,096 hand-dipped caramel apples (plain, nutty and gourmet)
-  4,164 apple cider slushies
-  5,632 apple spice and pumpkin donuts
-  2,109 cups of hot apple cider
-  1,511 bags of apples (multiple varieties throughout the season) and
-  1,878 containers of apple cider (gallon and half gallon).

In the store you can also find apple butter, pickled garlic, muffin mixes and all sorts of great food items, as well as hostess gifts and home décor items. One of my favorites is the sweet potato butter! We are going to be sampling several of the items we offer in the store this year and sharing different recipes on connerprairie.org as well as on our Facebook page.

This year, we’ll be open from Sept. 1 -  Oct. 31, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays – Sundays and will be open on Labor Day and at night during the last weekend of Symphony on the Prairie, Sept. 4 & 5.  

All of the proceeds from the sales in the Apple Store benefit Conner Prairie. Since 1982, the Alliance has donated more than $1 million to support a variety of programs and projects, including most recently the 1859 Balloon Voyage. The ladies of the Alliance look forward to seeing you in the Apple Store this year! What will you stop by to taste?