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    • The Wewoka Holiday Bazaar has a well-kept secret
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    The Wewoka Holiday Bazaar has a well-kept secret

    Umito Posted on

    Andrea Chancellor
    | Guest columnist

    The Wewoka elves are almost done with their work for the season, preparing and filling Santa’s sack with hundreds of apple and cheesy delights.

    Each fall, patrons of the Seminole Nation Museum begin planning, purchasing and preparing dozens of cheesy apples to sell at its annual Holiday Bazaar. The first year, a dozen apples were prepared. This year, more than 500 are ready to be sold.

    Bazaar 2024 will take place on November 22 and mark the 50thth anniversary year of the event.

    The cheesy apple tradition has flourished to attract shoppers from Seminole and Hughes counties. The “cooks” now number around twenty people, because the commitment to preparing cheese apples is passed down from generation to generation.

    Have you ever heard of the wagon story called Wewoka Switch? Well, the story of the Wewoka cheese apple is about as famous.

    The word is out. Every holiday season, hundreds of people make the annual trip to the museum to collect these treats. The museum is located at 524 South Wewoka Avenue. Here’s the deal. If you’re planning to get your hands on one of the most beloved cheese apples, plan to arrive well before the doors open, said Richard Ellwanger, museum curator.

    So how can a small, active and respected museum in central Oklahoma host one of the must-see events of the season?

    That’s because this cheesy apple has quite a reputation: it’s not an ordinary grocery store product. The cooks follow a popular old Wewoka recipe, which belonged to Ellwanger’s grandmother. The story is that she acquired it from her German father. Ellwanger won’t say if the recipe is a secret, but the cooks keep it closely guarded. As far as I know, this has never been disclosed.

    But it’s no secret that this culinary delight attracts crowds because of its notoriety and, obviously, its taste.

    In 1973, Wewoka citizens established the Seminole Nation Historical Society and the museum opened in 1974. The annual cheesy apple sale then began.

    It is fitting that a patron of the museum, Lucy Cook, started the tradition of preparing cheese apples to sell at the bazaar. Other cooks have joined over the years. Years ago, the Ellwangers owned a local restaurant, which was the first to sell cheesy apples to the public.

    What if you arrive too late at the bazaar and discover that the cheese apples are sold out? Don’t worry.

    The Holiday Bazaar offers many other delicacies to satisfy the taste buds. Additionally, many dishes are prepared by various Wewokans who themselves attract loyal shoppers.

    The annual holiday spread also includes Kristi Boots Chocolate Almond Caramel; light and airy cream horns from Amanda Johnson; Diana Claybrook’s Rum Cakes, plus other treats such as pies, breads, cookies and peanut brittle. The festive event includes a silent auction; a sale of white elephants; handbags and artwork for the holidays. Of course, the museum exhibits are open to shoppers during the bazaar, as well as the gift shop.

    This year I started thinking about my own Granny’s Cheesy Apple recipe. Our family version has graced their Wewoka party table for many years. So I asked my cousins ​​to help me look for handwritten family recipes and cookbook pages folded in the corners.

    So ! We located him.

    Not so fast. I also keep my grandmother’s recipe a secret within the family.

    Andrea Chancellor has more than 20 years of experience in newspaper and magazine journalism, as well as 20 years in corporate public relations.

    Umito
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