Meet The King Apple Parade Grand Marshal And The Story Behind Her Apple Festival Passion

You can hear it in her voice right away: Fair Nabers Waggoner doesn’t just like the North Carolina Apple Festival, she lives it. Fair joins us as our WHKP Hometown Hero and shares what it means to be named Grand Marshal of the King Apple Parade, the Labor Day tradition that caps off the 80th annual celebration in Hendersonville, North Carolina. From plotting the perfect parade ride to practicing the classic wave, she brings the kind of hometown joy that reminds you why community traditions still matter.We also dig into the roots behind that excitement. Fair grew up surrounded by Henderson County apple farms, and she describes the Apple Festival as a rite of passage, from walking Main Street on your first “grown-up” night out to working busy shifts and soaking up the energy of the crowds. One of the most powerful parts of the conversation is her work helping create the Apple Farmer of the Year award, a way to pull hardworking, often shy growers into the spotlight and re-center the festival on the agriculture that built this region’s economy and culture.Along the way, we share a quick Henderson County real estate market update: recent sales trends, inventory slowly rising, and prices holding steady, plus the reality that life transitions keep driving moves even when interest rates feel stubborn. If you love Hendersonville NC, the King Apple Parade, or you’re curious about Western North Carolina real estate and the stories that shape our towns, you’ll feel right at home here. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves apple season, and leave us a review so more listeners can find the show.