It’s easy being Peachy in Fort Valley!

FORT VALLEY, Ga. – Middle Georgia hosted its 37th Georgia Peach Festival in downtown Fort Valley this last Friday and Saturday, June 2 and 3. The Peach Festival had numerous events to honor the local peach growers and showcase the cities of Fort Valley and Byron as well as Peach County itself. Friday and Saturday saw an abundance of attendees strolling down West Church Street, browsing the many vendors that lined the sides of the road.

On Friday afternoon, Tisa Horton, the President of the Georgia Peach Festival Board, took a moment to step onto the stage and thank those in attendance–visitors, volunteers and sponsors. The evening continued with a variety of music, including karaoke. Those who participated in karaoke had a chance to win a Georgia Peach Festival shirt or food from one of the local vendors. The festival continued into the evening until 10 p.m.

Horton was happy those in attendance were taking part in the music, both with the live performances, the DJ and the karaoke.

“We had a good turnout for the concert,” Horton said. “Last night, we had for the first night ever I have seen for the festival, people actually dancing throughout the night! You know, most of the time, you see people sitting in their chair watching the concert. They were actually up dancing. That, to me, means they feel good.”

The festival picked back up at 7 a.m. Saturday morning, and started with the Hometown Heroes Pancake Breakfast. The breakfast took place at Fort Valley Methodist Church and was put on by first responders in the Fort Valley area.

At 10 a.m. the Peachy Parade commenced. The parade featured the Georgia Peach Queens, representatives from the City of Fort Valley including Fort Valley Mayor Pro Tem Alonzo Allen and Fort Valley City Council members Carla Gowen and Fred Van Hartesveldt, U.S. Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr., Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard, local peach growers including Lane Southern Orchard and Pearson Farm, the NoD Percussion, the Fort Valley Utility Commission, and more.

Horton was happy with the community turnout and is proud of the work that she, her team and the volunteers put into making the festival possible. 

“I feel peachy, very peachy! It’s a great turnout,” Horton said. “It [the Peach Festival] does make you proud, because it’s your hometown and we grow peaches here. It’s about hometown pride. I’m proud to be from Fort Valley and Peach County. I’m proud that we have the Georgia Peach Festival and the world’s largest peach cobbler.”

Horton was happy that there were enough peaches–even with this year’s limited harvest–for the festival to still make the world’s biggest peach cobbler and have some peaches to sell after the parade.

Horton does wish there were more volunteers for the Peach Festival. “When having a festival of this magnitude, having more participation. We have a board, but we’d like more participation,” she said. “This is for our community, for everybody to come see what we’ve got. It’s our time to showcase! Showcase your hometown and your town pride. We’re proud of the peach farmers.”

The World’s Largest Peach Cobbler was ready for attendees to partake in around 2 p.m. The cobbler measured around 11 feet by five feet and is roughly eight inches deep. The head chef behind this enormous desert is Information Systems Manager Rich Bennett.

Bennett has been working as the head chef for many years. He originally used to work for the Peach County Board of Commissioners Office, where he worked for over 23 years. During his time there, he was volunteered by one of the commissioners to be the apprentice chef.

“In 2007, I was the apprentice chef. One of the county commissioners had been doing it for several years and he said ‘Hey, Rich, come do the cobbler!’ and I said ‘What? I don’t know anything about it!’” Bennett said. “So, I was the apprentice chef that year. He retired from the commissioners and I was the head chef from then on.”

While Benett no longer works at the commissioner’s office or lives in Peach County, he still enjoys coming out to the Peach Festival to spend time with his family. “I have a good time with it. It becomes a family affair. I have a cousin and his family from out of town to help, my brother’s family, my own family. So, we have a good time with it,” Bennett said.

Bennett explained that one of the hardest parts of making the cobbler is making sure the heat stays consistent and properly bakes the entirety of the desert. He stated that the desert is stirred with clean boat paddles and garden rakes.

Throughout Saturday, there was live music by artists including Tu Voz Latina, John Mark Graves and CeCe Peniston. The evening ended with a laser show around 8:30 p.m.