APPLE FESTIVAL A HUGE SUCCESS

By Jon Mayhew


Photo Contributed

LINCOLNTON -- More than 50,000 people visited downtown Lincolnton Saturday for the annual Apple Festival.

And according to Lincolnton Police Chief Dean Abernathy, minus a few minor incidents, things were relatively uneventful for law enforcement in Lincolnton.


Photo by Trey Childs/The Carolina Scoop

"It was pretty quiet," said Abernathy. "We were pleased."

The 2008 festival marked the first year that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police brought their command post as a way to assist the combined resources of Lincolnton Police and the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. The CMPD post was at the corner of Laurel and East Main Streets and served as a main law enforcement command post.

Lincoln County's Emergency Management command post was set-up at the Court Square, facing East Main Street.

Besides several minor medical incidents, there was a fuel leak from a parked vehicle at the festival and a minor altercation that happened around 3:30 p.m., about a half hour before the festival ended.

And despite the City of Lincolnton passing an ordinance banning dogs from the festival grounds -- and the large amount of publicity generated in the weeks after the decision -- people still tried to bring their pets to the festival.

According to Lincoln County Sheriff's Office Captain Howard Eason, they were dealt with quickly.

"I saw some people escorted out of the festival," said Eason.

Chief Abernathy said authorities were sticking to a "zero tolerance" policy during the annual festival.

"When a situation came up, we dealt with it," said Abernathy.


Photos by Trey Childs/The Carolina Scoop