Colonial Courtyard at Bedford celebrates Johnny Appleseed’s legacy

BEDFORD, Pa. - Sept. 18, 2014 - PRLog -- If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, then the Colonial Courtyard at Bedford residents should be in good shape this month.

    The senior living community at 220 Donahue Manor Road will celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day with a number of events in advance of the September 26 birthday of John Chapman, who is credited with introducing apple trees to parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.

    “Johnny Appleseed had an apprenticeship with an orchardist and he planted nurseries in the many areas and regions he traveled,” said Nanette Bankes, Colonial Courtyard at Bedford’s Activities Coordinator. “He was inspired to plant apple trees, according to history and folk lore. What a legacy he left behind.”

    “So, with the warmth of the summer days pretty much behind us, and with the bounty of the summer’s apple crop so delicious, we are celebrating Johnny Appleseed at Colonial Courtyard at Bedford,” Bankes continued.

·         Colonial Courtyard at Bedford residents visited Ridgetop Orchards in Fishertown on September 11.

·         The annual apple butter making event at Colonial Courtyard at Bedford was held September 18.

·         Chapman’s legacy will be honored as residents participate in a new word game on September 19.

·         The celebration will close on Chapman’s birthday, September 26, with the baking of “Grannies Apple Crisp.”

    Chapman was born in 1774 and later served in the Continental Army with General George Washington during the American Revolution. An American pioneer and frontier nurseryman, Chapman established orchards throughout the Midwest and became the basis for the folk hero Johnny Appleseed.