Local musician Kelly Bracey plays at Meckley’s. Cassandra DeVries | Collegian

Families and friends lined up for cider flights, scented candles, and homemade wooden spatulas at Meckley’s Flavor Fruit Farm’s Friendsgiving Festival Nov. 23. 

“We like to have a holiday festival every year to celebrate Thanksgiving, generally the Sunday before the holiday,” former Meckley’s manager, Heather Meckley said. 

Meckley’s is a family-owned apple orchard, bakery, and cider mill in Cement City, Michigan that opened in 1956.

Each year, the owners of Meckley’s, Adrienne and Steve Meckley, host a Thanksgiving event with a different theme. 

“We did the Friendsgiving this year with the theme of the food trucks. We wanted to add something fun,” Adrienne Meckley said. 

Food trucks, including The Joint Smokin’ Good Food, PB&J BBQ, and The Smash Box, provided lunch and snack options.

Customers also visited Meckley’s donut shop, bakery, and gift shop. 

Local musician Kelly Bracey sang and played the guitar in the tap room as visitors tried Meckley’s variety of hard ciders, including Cherry Bomb, Citrus Twist, and Grape Lakes. 

Adrienne Meckley said it was easy to find local vendors for the festival.

“All of the vendors find us and reach out to us,” Adrienne Meckley said.

One of the vendors at the event, Jennifer Fox, sold homemade candles.

“I’ve known about Meckley’s since I was a little girl,” Fox said. “And I’ve been making candles for 12 years and have a candle factory in Spring Arbor.”

Fox offered candle crockpots, miniature candles that could fit in your pocket, and almost 180 varieties of candle scents, ranging from “library book” to bakery scents.

“At an event like this, I can probably sell 30 candles,” Fox said. “But it’s also not always about the sales. I love networking and socializing with the people here.”

Lindsey Meckley, Adrienne and Steve Meckley’s daughter-in-law, also set up a stand in the cider barn where she sold beef tallow from their farm a couple of miles down the road. 

“We sell lip butters, face creams, and body creams. Our anti-aging cream and our whipped body balm are our most popular,” Lindsey Meckley said. 

Overall, 24 vendors sold a variety of handmade goods such as knives and spatulas, Christmas ornaments, sourdough bread, and dog biscuits. 

“We did a pie festival last year and then thought a Friendsgiving would be a fun element to add to this year,” Adrienne Meckley said. “The festival was good. We had a smaller turnout, but everyone definitely enjoyed their time.”