Sweet relief: Parker County Peach Festival back in business with big crowd expected

It’s a peachy summer once again in Weatherford.

The 36th annual Parker County Peach Festival is back in full form with a bounty of peaches and vendors.

“We are excited to welcome everyone to Weatherford, Texas. We missed you,” said Tammy Gazzola, the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce president.

This year’s event area has expanded by 25%, and coordination of more than 200-plus arts/craft, food and activity vendors is set. After skipping the 2020 festival because of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers are planning for an even sweeter event held in historic downtown Weatherford on Saturday, July 10 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tickets are available online at www.peachfestivaltx.com. All tickets will be pre-purchased to make hands-free entry easy and smooth. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 5-12 and under 5 are admitted free.

“We are expecting a good crowd for 2021,” Gazzola said. “Our vendor turnout has been record-breaking. We are seeing that folks are ready to get back to business.”

Though there was no official Peach Festival in 2020, the chamber did hold Peach Week to keep the heritage alive. Instead of gathering thousands in a confined environment around the square, they allowed folks to participate in a more spread-out fashion. It involved the participation of local businesses for a weeklong celebration with an array of assorted goodies — peach-flavored, of course.

“Being forced to skip the big 2020 Festival we knew we wanted to keep the peach spirit alive and support our local businesses so Peach Week was a great alternative,” Gazzola said. “Our local businesses stepped up with lots of peachy treats and events for locals and visitors to enjoy. Many of the local businesses that participated in Peach Week last year will be continuing to offer those special peachy treats all week this year too.”

Among the popular treats visitors can enjoy are homemade peach ice cream, peach cobbler, peach pie, peach tea, peach smoothies, ice cream topped with fresh peaches or just plain ol’ juicy peaches, eaten with the fuzz.

Gazzola said the peach crops for this year are delicious.

“We see no effect on the peach crop from COVID. The peaches are sweet and juicy,” she said. “Freestone peaches will be becoming available in the next few days and those are always one of the favorite varieties.”

Still, some regulations/adjustments have been made because of COVID, she said. The footprint of the layout has been expanded by 25% and booths will be spaced out. In the past booths were side-by-side, but this yer visitors will find walking space between each booth.

Along with the delicious food, visitors can pull up a seat and sit back and relax at one of the two entertainment stages where they can enjoy an array of local celebrities and entertainers.

Also, don’t forget about the Annual Peach Pedal Bike Ride with more than 2,200 cyclists expected to enter three different distances. The 61-mile ride starts at 7:30 a.m., the 39-mile ride starts at 7:45 a.m., and the 28-mile and 8-mile rides start at 8 a.m. For more information on this popular bike ride, visit www.peachpedal.com.

For easy transportation to the festival, hop on one of the air-conditioned shuttles from the Weatherford ISD Ninth-Grade Center, Weatherford College or Heritage Park to be dropped off at one of the festival entrances.

This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 5:30 AM.