2025 Apple Fair
EVENT DETAILS
- Sunday 16 March 2025
- 11am – 4pm
- School Oval
- Bring – Gold coin donation, keep cup for coffee, shopping bag and Airtag your kids because they’ll be off living their best life. 😊
PEOPLE POWER
You’re the apple of my pie! Thank you, amazing families, for almost filling HALF of the volunteer roster within a week. Blown away! We still have about 150 shifts to cover, so browse through the links below and pop your name down. Already snapped up is the Bake Sale, Silent Disco, Float Runs and all but one spot on the Bar. Anything else has your name on it. 😊
Our priority is recruiting First Aiders…please give your friends a nudge. Otherwise, we will need to book St John’s who are wonderful, but a cost we would rather avoid.
TIME TO CHOC AND ROLL, BABY!
Last call for nut-free blocks of chocolate (for the Chocolate Wheel) and pre-loved toys (used for prizes in Sideshow Alley.) Please hand into your classroom teacher by this Friday 21st Feb.
PLANNING YOUR DAY
If a family day out calls for one thing, it’s a strategy! Which rides first? What to eat? What time is your fave music act? Whether you’re a mosher ready to throw yourself in the core of the applepit, or a delicate Pink Lady planning your program hour-by-hour, here’s a complete listing of everything on at the fair.
In next week’s newsletter we’ll explain which rides and stalls are covered by wristbands and tickets, so you can work out the best value approach for your family.
VOLUNTEERS SIGN UP HERE!
| Stall & Roster Link | Roster Link | Location | |
| Foundation – Book Stall | https://volunteersignup.org/PR9JJ | Soccer Pitch | Morgan Jamieson & Cat Heil |
| Grade 1 – Bake Stall | https://volunteersignup.org/JWQDX | Oval | Anna Metcher |
| Grade 1 – Silent Disco | https://volunteersignup.org/WBPK7 | Oval | Emily Gardener |
| Grade 2 – Land-a-Coin | https://volunteersignup.org/E9PR8 | Soccer Pitch | Pip Diery & Molly Callaghan |
| Grade 2 – Splat the Rat | https://volunteersignup.org/YTW8R | Soccer Pitch | Pip Diery & Molly Callaghan |
| Grade 3 – Pop Corn | https://volunteersignup.org/YADWR | Oval | Steph King |
| Grade 3 – Ice Cream | https://volunteersignup.org/QYPC8 | Oval | Steph King |
| Grade 4 – Silent Auction | https://volunteersignup.org/PPYKJ | STEM shed | Georgia Fiske |
| Grade 4 – Tin Can Alley/Sling Shot | https://volunteersignup.org/HXFEB | Soccer Pitch | Pip Diery & Molly Callaghan |
| Grade 5 – Sushi by Groove | https://volunteersignup.org/Y7BQD | Oval | Steph King |
| Grade 5 - Fairy Floss by Cotton Buzz | https://volunteersignup.org/4PJER | Oval | Steph King |
| Grade 6 – Tattoos, Hair Spray & Hair Feather Plaits | https://volunteersignup.org/37B4X | Soccer Pitch | Pip Diery & Molly Callaghan |
Float Runs - (must have a DET approved police check)
| https://volunteersignup.org/RKEJR | Office | Lara Field |
| First Aid Tent (first aid trained or medical professionals only please) | https://volunteersignup.org/Q7XQJ | Outside STEM shed | Adele Smith |
| Ticket Booths x 2 | https://volunteersignup.org/AY7WK | Outside STEM shed | Lauren Abela |
| Bar | https://volunteersignup.org/J4MLD | Oval | Darcy Brown |
| Dishwashing | https://volunteersignup.org/QRT9R | SLC Kitchen | Kate McCallum |
| Entry Gate – Draper Street | https://volunteersignup.org/HQXQC | Draper St Gate | Adele Smith |
| Entry Gate – Asbury Street | https://volunteersignup.org/PAFTB | Asbury St Gate | Adele Smith |
| Entry Gate – Field Street North | https://volunteersignup.org/AK7YP | Field St North Gate | Adele Smith |
| Set Up (Sat 15 or Sun 16) | https://volunteersignup.org/YRKH8 | Oval | Adele Smith |
| Pack Up (Sunday) | https://volunteersignup.org/JBAWA | Oval | Steph King |
FAQS
What on earth is the Apple Fair?
It’s the major fundraiser for OGPS, raising over $30,000 each year for much needed projects such as the new outdoor learning space next to the library (thanks to the 2023 Apple Fair!). The event been running now for 27 years….it’s kind of a big deal 😉
What happens at the Apple Fair?
Thousands of fun-seekers come together on the school oval to enjoy a family day out. There is a stage with live music, food vans, market stalls, rides, amusements and more. It’s everything you would expect from a community fair but obviously way better….because, well…OGPS! It’s not just for school families either, folks from all over the Bellarine (and as far as Ballarat and Geelong) make the annual pilgrimage to the Apple Fair. Check out the vibe on Facebook or Instagram - @oceangrove_applefair
Who organises the Apple Fair?
Parents do! Besides the 20-strong Apple Fair Committee of stellar planners, the entire fair hinges on hundreds of parents volunteering their time and good humour on stalls or other tasks. The kids absolutely love being involved and it’s the stuff primary school memories are made of.
Why wasn’t there an Apple Fair in 2024?
The Committee played around with dates, testing out the fair in the months of October and March. In 2023, after the October event we decided it to move it back to the traditional month of March. It was too soon to run another Apple Fair only five months later, so there has been an 18-month gap. We intend to stick with March going forward, either every year or second year (depending on volunteer support.)
OK this is all good….but just one last question…why apples?
Back in the 1800s the site of OGPS was actually an apple orchard. It’s in our DNA! And who doesn’t love a toffee apple!?
