Fort Wayne’s annual Johnny Appleseed Festival has meant many things to many people over its 51-year history, but for me, it really came to life during one of my fitness classes at the Jackson R. Lehman Family YMCA.

Thanks to a fellow participant who served on the Johnny Appleseed Festival board, I got not only to attend the event but to BE the event.

For two days each year, I become Johnny Appleseed himself. I dress as authentically as possible, and I roam the grounds, chatting with Festival attendees and handing out pencils and seed packets, just like I imagine Johnny would be doing if he were here.

The festival showcases crafts and skills much as they were practiced during Johnny Appleseed’s lifetime, allowing me to imagine that I am living in the late 18^th or early 19^th century.

Like Johnny, I love talking with people in various situations and interacting with them. I even see myself as resembling Johnny Appleseed. He was about the same height and weight as I am. Unlike me, though, he never married or had children. He spent his lifetime teaching others to grow trees and plants and how to use nature to their advantage.

I also see myself as being a kindred spirit with a similar outlook on life. While I didn’t roam the countryside on foot, I certainly covered a lot of back country as an engineer for over 50 years with Norfolk-Southern Railroad. I love to think about Johnny possibly traveling some of the same routes along the rivers that my trains traveled. He was following many routes laid out by Native Americans, and along those same routes train tracks were later built.

As a lifetime performer at heart, with experience doing character work and emceeing at Snickers Comedy Club for many years, I prepared for the Johnny Appleseed role as I do for any role I take on. I read as much information on him as I could find – much of it found in the children’s department of the Allen County Public Library. Children’s books tend to have good factual information, presented in a basic way and easy to share. I even traveled to the Johnny Appleseed Museum and Educational Center in Urbana, Ohio, where I broadened my knowledge of Johnny Appleseed and his legend.

The best part of representing Johnny Appleseed is answering the questions that people have about him. Yes, he was a real person! He was an American pioneer, born on Sept 26, 1774, in Leominster, MA. His father fought in the Revolutionary War. Johnny’s real name was John Chapman, and he was a nurseryman. He introduced apple trees grown from seeds rather than from grafting. John collected seeds from cider mills in Pennsylvania and traveled throughout the Midwest. John would travel ahead of settlers, planting seedlings that would grow into trees and orchards. At that time in our country, the government would grant a person 100 acres of land if they planted orchards (trees were required within three years of the claim.) The settlers could use the lands on which Chapman had planted trees to secure their claims. John Chapman died on March 18, 1845, and he was buried here in Fort Wayne.

Johnny Appleseed’s story is important in the history of Fort Wayne, and I am proud to share it at the festival named for him. The Johnny Appleseed Festival celebrates good times, good food and good fellowship, while spreading the importance of nature and sharing his legacy. I love bringing Johnny to life! See you at the festival, September 19 and 20.