Crowd Heads To Wickham's For Apple Picking After 'SNL' Spoof

CUTCHOGUE, NY — A hilarious "Saturday Night Live"skit on apple picking brought a crowd out to a North Fork farm this weekend for real-life fun.

The favorite fall pastime got a nod on "Saturday Night Live" recently, as SNL's "Apple Picking Ad" spoofed the activity popular both on the North Fork and in upstate New York.

SNL's Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon, playing unmarried sisters who own the farm, said fall is apple picking season, time to visit "Chickham's Apple Farm" for pick-your-own fall fun.

After the show aired, many on the North Fork got a chuckle; the name seemed to be a twist on the name of the popular Wickham's Fruit Farm.

Jonathan Wickham, owner of Wickham's Fruit Farm, thought the show was great fun — and even invited visitors to come experience the "As Seen On SNL" fun for themselves on Saturday.

"We're giving free autographs at our pre-Saturday-Night-Live-party party, on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring lots of off-highway parking and pick-your-own apples with wagon rides," Wickham said. "Choose from our various apple offerings including huge-soft, tiny-hard, green, orange, and (our personal favorite) apple! But don't come on Sunday when we're closed, because . . . you might've just missed it!"

On Saturday, a huge crowd turned out for the fun, which included longtime North Fork farmer Tom Wickham, who posed for photos with the "Braid Lady," Deborah, made famous in the "SNL" skit.

(Lisa Finn)

The many who turned out to pick apples in the bright sunshine under blue skies enjoyed the "SNL" references.

(Lisa Finn)

Brenna Solop and Kim McDonald gave props to Wickham's for being good sports about the "SNL" hilarity.

"So Wickham's, the apple farm that was being parodied on SNL last week, is doing something people have forgotten to do — laugh and go along with the joke," said Brenna Solop, who came from Massapequa. "And why not enjoy the extra publicity?"

Solop said her family goes apple picking at Wickham's every year; she showed them the "SNL" video, which she said was "hilarious," before they arrived. Then she got to the farm and saw the "Braid Lady."

"I thought, 'They're really going with this,'" Solop said. "I think it's great. I'm a marketer and the fact that they're going along with this and making the most of it, it's perfect."

A bastion of the North Fork for 11 generations, the Wickham family's ownership of the land and historic, beloved bicentennial farm stretches back to the 1600s — and for generations, thousands of families have headed to the farm for the joy of apple picking and fall fun.

SNL poked fun at the apple-picking ritual.

"Why pick apples?" Bryant and McKinnon, playing the homespun sisters, one with a long braid, asked. "Just ask any of our satisfied customers."

"I never picked apples before but now, I have. I had fun — I think," one said.

"It was cute. Far, but cute. A lot of bees," said another.

The sisters said customers could select from a variety of apples: "Huge/soft, tiny/hard, green, orange. And apple."

They joked about the apples on the ground that "get the deers drunk". Woody Harrelson appears as "Farmhand Hank" who riffs about a hilarious fictional petting zoo.

The skit then advises customers to take home some goodies.

"Be sure to take home some of our penis gourds. They came out more penis than yesterday," they said.

Jonathan Wickham was thrilled with Saturday's turnout. "Here's how much fun people had today. A week ago, some friends I grew up with on the North Fork were making fun of apple picking and watching the 'Saturday Night Live' sketch. Today, the same people are here at our farm having a great time picking their own apples and meeting the 'Braid Lady.'"

He added: "Wickham's Fruit Farm is different from other apple growers: When you pick your own apples with us, you get to park off the highway in our ample parking area, you'll have an unforgettably great time with your friends and family on a scenic, historic, waterfront farm, and you'll get to take wonderful photos to share."

He added that Wickham's Fruit Farm is "open next Saturday, Columbus Day weekend, for more pick-your-own apples and autographs with the Braid Lady. But don't come on Sunday when we're closed, because... you might've just missed it!""

After the show first aired, Wickham said he thought "SNL" was laugh-out-loud hysterical: "That sketch was so funny that the actors could barely keep it together. Do we actually have a lady working here with a 5-foot long braided pony tail? Do we actually have penis-shaped gourds? There's one way to find out. Come out and see us in person," he said.

Wickham's Fruit Farm is located at 28700 Main Road in Cutchogue. For information on the farm, click here or go to the Wickham's Fruit Farm Facebook page.

For Patch's 2019 Long Island Apple-Picking Guide, click here.