MacQueen Orchards — Local services in Maumee

We went to the Apple Butter festival yesterday. They supposedly hold this every year? But this was our first visit. They could have done better with parking. If they rented out space, such as at one of the businesses closed yesterday or a farmers field that wasn't in use then they could have run shuttles back and forth. I've been to Apple Butter festivals in other states where they actually had people MAKING apple butter in States like: Virginia, West Virginia, Rhode Island, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusettes, New Jersey, Nebraska, Georgia & Florida. Also Maple syrup, Strawberry everything, Orange anything, Cranberries, pumpkin butter, & peach butter. . In all of those states that have festivals based on what the Orchards had ripe at the time, the one factor in all of them was that they were "MAKING" SOMETHING. How can you hold an Apple Butter Festival and just sell MacQueen's own apple butter without any displays of making it????!??? . What we saw were rides for kids, a place to "pick apples" that was held in a barn and the "picking" consisted of just picking different varieties from boxes. They should have listed that farce as "selecting apples" and not "picking." Everywhere we turned, there were vendors selling some goods but mostly over-priced foods. We went into the building were you can purchase fruits and vegetables but after shopping at some of the other "farm-fresh", (Mom & Pop,) "locally-owned" markets selling wares from All over Ohio (including MacQueen's apples) I WON'T ever again pay the MacQueen's prices for things. The tiny jar of pumpkin butter that was $5 was the last time they will get any of my hard-earned money. . I was just disgusted by rude employees who wouldn't answer simple questions without giving nasty attitudes or just turning their back on us while we were asking about handicap parking areas. I might have anticipated that kind of rudeness in NJ were I recently spent the last 8 years living but in Ohio were I live once again, we expected a certain amount of politeness especially because we were polite. . The other issue I have with MacQueen's is that as a handicapped person who uses a cane for walking, I noticed that in sections all over the place they had hazards with no thought, apparently, to put up signs warning the general public to be careful of extension cords stretched between tents and buildings which was the ONLY way to walk. I probably tripped at least 4 times yesterday and if I had been alone instead of with my friend I would have ended up on the ground. Which would have been extremely bad for me because of my health issues. The "main drag" so to speak also had extension cables running from tents & stages from one side to the opposite side where they were either electricity and/or water. No signs there either letting the general public know that they should be careful walking over them. . I just don't get the reason for the rude employees, excessive prices, dangerous conditions, that MacQueen's orchard put out for a "festival" which should have been called a Fair or "a day at the Orchard." Which is technically ALL THAT IT WAS. Nothing festive there in the least. . I could have stayed home instead of risking life & limb at a place that clearly DOESN'T CARE ABOUT the disabled portion of...

I've been an occasional customer at the MacQueens store. But never again after today !

My wife had been craving a Carmel apple for several days. Since today was her birthday, I stopped in to get her one. According to the store's website site, Carmel apples without nuts are $6.00. They're $7.00 with nuts. And for $1.00 more, they'll wrap it up and put a ribbon on it. The photo on the website even shows individual Carmel apples in celophane wrapping tied up with a ribbon.

So I told the young lady behind the counter that I wanted one Carmel apple, wrapped and tied with a ribbon. She looked at me like I was nuts. I told her that the store's website clearly states that the wrapping is offered. She turned and walked to a back room. When she came back, she said I had to buy four apples to have them wrapped. I pointed out that the website made no mention of this and even had a photo of individually wrapped apples. She just shrugged her shoulders and stood there. I said, "fine". Give me one apple, and I'll wrap it myself.

It wasn't that wrapping the apple was a big deal. It was that the clerk was determined to ignore the clearly stated information on the store's website.

And then, to top it all off, she charged me $7.00 for the apple. It should have been only $6.00 since it didn't have nuts.

As I said at the outset, I've been an occasional customer at MacQueens. But never again, if they're going to ignore their own published prices...

More expensive than most! Even more expensive than their same apples at other produce stands in the vicinity... I cannot recommend their peaches as the one I tried was mealy, gave the others I had away.

I was not left with a good impression of this business. It seems like they have a good hold on the market up here. I couldn't stop seeing this name every where I went before arriving to the orchard for the first time and after leaving, knowing I had just seen the exact same apples from this orchard priced less elsewhere...

I am a bit put off that organic produce is hard to find in NW Ohio, especially apples, and that this name is everywhere. My hunt continues with solid detours around this establishment. What may have been a local business in the past seems to be more like a staked claim in territory current day.

I also made the huge mistake of visiting during the fall festival. It was chaotic with no one for traffic control that had a clue. The band was also super loud for the size of the festival (and where the band was located - in front of the main store between buildings). I guess this must be a...