Written by Ainsley Hall and published in The Journal on October 13, 2025, link to article HERE.
MARTINSBURG — Martinsburg High School’s apple dumpling fundraiser began Saturday, as students work together to raise money for the Good Times and Glitz Show choirs.
What started as a small fundraiser to raise money for the Martinsburg High School Good Times Show Choir, has grown into a beloved tradition, where students can share homemade apple dumplings with the community.
The fundraiser started with choir director Linda Snyder, who worked at the school for 18 years. In 1986, she wanted to find a fun way to support her students and started making apple dumplings from scratch. Since then, the fundraiser has grown, as the current choir director, Hayley Cowan, and her students continue her legacy.
“I think one of the biggest reasons this tradition is so popular is because they’re delicious,” Cowan said. “People just want to come back every year for it. But also, I think, with the amount of people that come through the program and follow Good Times and Glitz, once they get out to the community after they leave our programs after high school, they also want to come back and support the programs.”
It all starts with parent volunteers like Nicky Ramis and Katie Linn, who have been helping with the program for six and 14 years, respectively. Ramis first got involved when her daughter joined show choir. She explained that it takes months of planning to organize and makes sure they have all the ingredients they need.
Before the students get involved, parents make the stuffing for the dumplings, giving it time to cool. Then, the next day, they cover the floor with cardboard, and the teens get to work peeling apples and wrapping them up in the dough.
Linn said that she remembers doing this fundraiser when she was in high school. It’s that memory that makes the apple dumpling fundraiser special to her.
“It’s just like a nostalgic thing,” Linn said. “And it’s the heartbeat of our school now - to see how everything goes down and hearing the kids out here. The whole time their peeling apples and coring them and stuffing them, they’re singing, and I just love that.”
Now, Ramis’ son, Aidan, is stage manager and president of Good Times and works alongside Glitz President Evelyn Diaz. Aidan and Diaz agreed that their favorite part about the apple funding fundraiser is the way it brings everyone in the two groups together.
For four consecutive days, all the teens work together, giving them the chance to talk and get to know each other better than before.
“We’re all constricted in the same space, so we always have to be around each other,” Aidan said. “I think it helps with team bonding and everything.”
“I agree,” Diaz added. “Because Glitz and Good Times don’t rehearse at the same time, it’s a great way for everybody to get to know each other within the program because later in the season we’re going to be traveling a lot and spending even more time together.”
Money raised during this fundraiser will help fund the program throughout the year, allowing all the students to travel and participate in shows. Martinsburg High School began selling apple dumplings throughout the week starting Saturday. Following the weekend, customers can buy them from 4-8 p.m. Monday-Friday.
For more information, contact gtdumplings@gmail.com.