Sandy Buzzerd, Apple Butter Hall of Fame

Sandy Buzzerd is one of the local volunteers being honored by the Berkeley Springs-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce. She will join the 60 members of the Apple Butter Festival Hall of Fame.

Buzzerd will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a community luncheon on Wednesday, September 12, Noon at Cacapon State Park.

The afternoon will feature a special program on "Remembering the Tomato Festival" with John Douglas as moderator and Warren Buzzerd, Phil Kesecker, Arless Kesecker, Nancy Largent, Mary Banks Nichols, Tiny Webster and Carroll Young doing the remembering . The luncheon’s corporate sponsor is the Berkeley Springs Plant of the U.S. Silica Company. Tickets for the luncheon are available at the Chamber office.

Marking her 35th year as an Apple Butter Festival volunteer, Sandy Buzzerd proves herself a woman of many talents.

In the early years, Buzzerd’s efforts include helping organize children to walk or ride in the Saturday morning parade. As her children got older, she graduated to flipping burgers in school organization food trailers. She could also be found over the years working the Chamber of Commerce booth answering questions and selling chances on the Apple Butter Festival quilt.

Throughout her long history with the festival, she could be counted upon to see that the event and its activities were well supported by the local newspaper arranging everything from special pages to listing all the game and contest winners.

One of Buzzerd’s most irreplaceable services to the festival, comes as the event is winding down on Sunday. As she takes her place at vendor check-out, and puts on a temporary hat as sales tax collector.

Buzzerd’s favorite part of the festival are the early mornings. She likes the hustle and bustle of activity. Watching the apple butter kettles being stirred is a favorite tradition. She is repeatedly impressed with all the work that goes into making the festival happen and the countless people involved. "I'm glad to be a small part of it," she said. What is equally impressive to her is how on Monday morning after the festival no one would know that thousands of people had been in town all weekend long. "It's always so clean," she said.

In her non-Apple Butter Festival life, Buzzerd is active in work and church. She is Managing Editor of The Morgan Messenger and serves on the board of directors of the West Virginia Press Association. She has held every office in the organization serving as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer at various times. She is also an active member of St. Mark's Episcopal Church.

Reliable volunteers, willing and able to help wherever needed, are the hidden treasure of the Apple Butter Festival. All those who work on and attend the annual event can applaud the selection of Sandy Buzzerd for the Apple Butter Festival Hall of Fame.