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Mark your calendars, Mars Applefest is held the first Saturday in October. Where can you meet 9-10,000 of your neighbors at one time?

A tremendous amount of outpouring from the community makes Mars Applefest a special event. This is especially true of the local churches and other non-profit organizations who host tents with fun kid-centered things to do, such as face painting and games. As such, visitors come from near and far. The town may be small, but the festival is so, so popular. Yes 9,000+ adventure to share in the fun, so come with smiles and appetites.

This year Applefest will host 200+ vendors selling everything from fine jewelry, quality arts and crafts, paintings, quaint decorations and trinkets, and nearby grown foods from local farms.

Come hungry and dine from the many food vendors with seating under the Mars Town Square tent. Enjoy music with your family and friends as you try homemade bread and pastries, funnel cakes, kettle corn, corn dogs, international flavors and the like. How about some Amish donuts from Mercer County and other baked goods?

Visitors to Mars Applefest have the opportunity for an awesome photo with the town’s very own flying saucer! This little piece of Americana is much beloved and a popular spot of the festivities. Folks from across the nation make the trek to visit, to sit on the spaceship and say they have been to Mars. You can count on plenty of Martians around to help you celebrate. 

Admission is free. Dogs are welcomed, we even saw a cockatoo this past year. The Event area is very handicapped accessible.

Parking is free. A shuttle is provided from the overflow lot located at Vogel's Disposal Parking Lot 121 Brickyard Road, Mars.

Rich-Mar Rotary Club is synonymous for service to our community, in the workplace, and throughout the country. Rotarians build goodwill and peace, provide humanitarian assistance, and encourage high ethical standards in all vocations. Rotarians make this event special.

The communities of Richland and Mars proudly support three Clubs. 

The Rich-Mar Rotary Main Club  meets the first Wednesday of the month for lunch at 12:15 PM at Pine Community Center in Wexford, PA. And the third Thursday at Willee’s Tavern at 6:30PM, Gibsonia, PA.

http://rich-mar.org/

The Rich-Mar Rotary Satellite Club is a smaller group of folks that meet the second Tuesday of every month at 6:30 PM at Willee’s Tavern in Gibsonia to plan projects where they can volunteer in the community. A very hands on group of dedicated individuals.

https://www.facebook.com/people/Rich-Mar-Satellite-Rotary-Club/100083794500684/

The Rich-Mar Appalachian Impact Club meets the First Tuesday of every month at 7:00 PM at Willee's Tavern in Gibsonia. This group consists of adult volunteers following a Christian-based program for the youth volunteers. For 24 years, teens and adults have bonded with the Mullens, WV community and have improved peoples’ lives through fellowship and home improvements projects.

 Rotary Club of Appalachia Mission Impact 

The exceptional members of our Clubs have been active in the local community for many years with events that help raise funds to share with those in need. Some of these major events are:

· The Annual Golf Outing

· Mars Applefest First Saturday in October

· Shred It Days for documents First Saturday in May

· ShelterBox USA events

· Night at the Races

· SchoolYard 5K/Run

· Butler County Turkey Raffle

Donations that are raised are spread generously throughout our community and across the world for: 

Rotary International Initiatives

Polio Eradication 

ShelterBox (emergency shelters for those in distress)

Build-A-Chair Tanzania 

Honduras Hope Mission 

Hospital Albert Schweitzer

Bethany Christian Services

Water From Clay

Dream Big Honduras

Hearts 4 Haiti 

Local Charities and Inspirations

The Lighthouse Foundation 

Inspired Hearts & Hands

Harvest Street Mission

Hosanna Industries 

MHY Family Services

Pine-Richland Youth Center

North Hills Cares

North Hills Community Outreach 

YMCA Camp Kon-O-Kwee Spencer

YASU  (Young Adult Survivors United) 

The Appalachian Mission Trips

Adams Township Park Rotary Pavilion

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA)

Rotary Outstanding Vocational Award (ROVA)

Dictionaries for Children

College and Vocational Scholarships

Along with now 205 vendors that support Mars Applefest, there is much more to enjoy. This is a record for vendors attending.  

DJ Pittsburgh Music is a start to keep the day hopping.

Advance Community Church - Just adjacent to the Mars Farmers Market, children will find a wonderland of inflatable slides and playgrounds, provided by the congregation of Advance Community Church (10:00AM - 2:30PM). And if Applefest food trucks and table eats don't satisfy your appetite, the church is providing complimentary hamburgers and hot dogs. Enter the event area through the parking lot near the large tree at the corner of the yard, and come meet their team! They would love to host you on a Sunday morning at one of their Sunday services, as welli  https://advancecommunitychurch.org/

Mars Area History and Landmark Society, our local museum containing an extensive collection of very unique items of the area, with a large focus on the railroad industry that continues to be so important to Mars, PA. A must while visiting is to take a ride on the Mars Shortline Railroad. Hours are 12:00PM - 4:00PM.

https://marshistory.org/

Mars Public Library and the Friends of the Library are hosting their Fall book sale. The largest ever.  Doors open at 9:00AM for some real bargains on classics as well as children's literature. Visit the library right in the middle of Applefest on Grand Avenue. Sale ends at 3:30PM.

https://www.marsarealibrary.org/friends

Masonic Lodge Pancake Breakfast is hosted at the John E. Mair Lodge across the railroad tracks. Breakfast is served from 7:30AM - 12:00PM. Pancakes, bacon, and sausage await our hungry Martian guests. Visit them at 340 Clay Ave. You get an early parking spot for Applefest. https://www.johnemair729.org/

NexTier Bank Challenges - Stop by the NextTier Bank at the corner of Marshall Way and Grand Avenue to be challenged by a variety of games for the young Martians. https://www.nextierbank.com/

Mars Fightin' Planet - come meet Mars High School's team mascot. The Fightin' Planet is this year's Nation's Number One High School Mascot. Come meet our local "star", and of course his entourage from Mars Cheerleaders.

Orby - come stroll Grand Avenue with Orby, our local out of this world Martian mascot. Get a photo with Orby at the Town Square photo booth. Ask Orby where to get the best ice cream in Mars.

Mars Flying Saucer - Now we can't forget to mention that everyone must stop and get photos with the spaceship. The flying saucer landed years ago and sits in Mars Town Square. Open 24 hours.

https://marsborough.com/

Mars Agway – Come celebrate with Burrittos by Brett, a Mexican specialty food truck, Mars Lacrosse and their Dunk Tank, and touch a vintage WWII US Army M-3 half-track. 

Mars Farmers Market is a collection of local growers in the Advance Community Church parking lot across from the post office, that will offer their vegetables, fruits, baked goods, honey, and homemade creations. Come early to get the pick of the crop as supply runs out as the day passes by. Regular market hours are 9:00-12:00PM, but for Applefest the Market vendors will stay longer. 

 https://www.facebook.com/marsfarmersmarket/

Look for Applefest's Face Painting Station - next to the Rotary Shelter Box Tent Display adjacent to the Town Square.

Grab some family photos at our Apple Orchard photo booth in the Town Square.