As published in the Courier-Tribune on March 24, 2012
By Hugh Martin
CANDOR — The 2012 North Carolina Peach Festival will be held July 21 in Candor in Montgomery County and planners are meeting regularly to get the parade, vendors and musicians lined up and ready to flow smoothly.
“We’re just keeping our fingers crossed and hoping to make it to April 10,” said Jeff Chandler, director of the NCSU Sandhills Research Station near Jackson Springs.
April 10 is the date that peach growers look to as the average date of the last frost in the area. With many of their trees now in full bloom, a hard freeze could spell disaster for a full, money-making crop for the 2012 season.
Ken Chappell, former president of the North Carolina Peach Growers Society and a Candor-area grower, has expressed concern about the warm season but according to his wife, Rhonda, the trees have received enough chilling hours to make a viable crop.
Danelle McKnight, horticulture agent for Montgomery County Cooperative Extension Service, explained that chilling hours vary among different peach varieties, but that the average peach variety grown in the Sandhills region requires in the neighborhood of 750 chilling hours.
“Chilling hours are the amount of hours accumulated that range from 32 to 50 degrees with 45 degrees being the optimal temperature,” McKnight said.
Chandler said the crops hit the 750-hour mark in mid-February. The last night of freezing weather saw temperatures fall to 26 degrees on March 5.
“We didn’t see any major damage,” Chandler said. “The temperatures actually helped the farmers a bit by thinning the crop for them.”
Although the trees are blooming early, Chappell remains optimistic. “The weather is just the way we like it,” he says. “It’s been cool enough to slow things down but not hurt the peaches.”
While the farmers keep an eye on their crops, planners are working diligently to prepare for the yearly festival.
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on July 21 with Grand Marshall Betty Lou Bruton leading the way. Bruton’s family has farmed in the Candor area for generations and she taught home economics in local schools her entire career.
Local favorites the Sand Band and Blue Horizon will perform Carolina beach and bluegrass music throughout the day. The Loaded Dice Band and Rocking Horse Unplugged will provide entertainment the day of the festival and during the Peachy Feet 5K race, which will be run for the second year the evening before the festival.
The NCSU Pipes & Drums are scheduled for the parade and the committee is awaiting word from Sir Purr, the mascot of the Carolina Panthers, as to his appearance schedule.
New T-shirt designs for 2012 are in the works and hand fans will be distributed to festival-goers.
A variety of vendors will line the streets and the Candor Historical Society and the Candor Fire Department will have fundraising booths.
The cooking contest is always a favorite with prizes for the best peach dishes entered. There will be kid’s games and events galore throughout the entire festival area.
Helicopter rides have become a favorite activity and a balloon artist will be roaming the festival throughout the day.
Parking areas will be located in several locations with shuttles running throughout the day to make the trip easier for those who need rides.
Festival sponsors are still being accepted with different levels of sponsorship available and naming rights to certain events being added this year. Sponsorships are available starting at $100.
Vendor spots are still available but have been going fast.
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For more information on the North Carolina Peach Festival or the Peachy Feet 5K, contact Tammy Kellis at the Candor Town Hall at (910) 974-4221.
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