(May 16, 2026) – The 57th Annual Apple Blossom Festival parade kicked off at 10 am Saturday in Westford.
The Kiwanis Club of Westford is hosting the annual festival from May 13-17th. Events include a parade, carnival, fireworks and awards for local high school students and a Kiwanis Person of the Year. This event supports and celebrates the community, with proceeds funding scholarships, the arts, Scout projects, history and senior center programming, along with community care initiatives, including summer cookouts and direct care for neighbors in need.
The event also offers the chance to reflect on the region’s rich history of apple orchards.
According to the Westford Kiwanis’ event booklet, a group of growers organized the Apple Blossom Festival on May 19, 1935, the first of its kind in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Governor James M. Curley crowned the first queen, Ms. Phyllis Wright of Westford in a local ceremony at Whitney Playground, according to a June 21, 1979 article shared on the Westford Museum & Historical Society website.
The next year, 30 towns in the “Nashoba Apple Belt” participated, attracting nearly 50,000 visitors for tours. (Source: Westford Kiwanis’ event booklet). Westford, Littleton, Ayer and Groton were among these communities.
This past week, the Westford Museum & Historical Society gave the public a glimpse back on its Facebook page, sharing a photo of a beautiful metal monotype printing plate showing a map of local towns. This special plate commemorates the 1937 Nashoba Apple Blossom Tour.
The Apple Blossom Festival continued through the early 1940s, then was suspended during World War II, according to the Westford Kiwanis booklet.
Nashoba Apple Blossom Festival in Leominster
In 1939, a Leominster librarian published her research confirming that John Chapman – AKA Johnny Appleseed – had been born in Leominster.
News archives show the 9th Nashoba Apple Blossom Festival was held in Leominster in May 1948, from May 8-16th. On May 27th, Disney released “Melody Time,” an animated movie featuring, “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed.”
If you search news archives, you will find both Nashoba and Johnny Appleseed events mentioned in the years since. The Westford Kiwanis introduced their festival back in 1968. In more recent years, Sholan Farms in Leominster and Carlson Orchards in Harvard have also advertised events.
We have explored the history of the Nashoba Valley Apple Blossom Festival and Johnny Appleseed. We share this project with others who may be interested. See page 16 and 21 to learn about the 1948 event.