“The 2018 Palisade Peach Festival presented by American Furniture Warehouse is celebrating 125 years of peaches and 50 years of Palisade Peach Festivals, with a bumper crop of the best peaches in the world”, says Juliann Adams, Executive Director of the Palisade Chamber of Commerce. “We’re honoring the hard work, dedication, pride, and tender loving care, generations of growers dedicate, to producing the sweetest, juiciest, peaches, cherished across the country.”
Pre-Festival activities will set the mood for a great festival. Wednesday, August 15th, is Peach Night at the Grand Junction Rockies, with the Peach Queen, Bella, pitching the “first peach”. There’ll be peaches, peach drinks, peach salsas condiments, and other peachy ball game fun. Thursday night, August 16th, in Downtown Palisade, it’s the free, Ice Cream Social and Street Dance. Ice cream topped with peaches, live band, Jake Jabs crowning the royalty and then “Jammin’ with the Band”, makes for a perfect way to lead into the Festival on Friday.
Friday, gates open 3:00 pm, at Riverbend Park, with Jakes Jungle for Kids, filled with free activities, games, and even a coloring contest for those stuffed tigers. The festival has grown over the years, as, has the peach presence, with everything from Peach Orchard booths, to Peach Eating Contest, to jams, jellies, pies, cobblers, ice cream, peach libations, and food vendors are encouraged to add peach dishes to their menus. Peach Cuisine with Colorado Chefs continues to grow with area chefs demonstrating their delicious, amazing peach dishes, handing out samples and recipes with the crowd. Dixie Burmeister, organizer, says “chefs are upping their presentations, that will amaze and delight you. This is their best yet!
Friday festival features a headliner band, Soul Sacrifice, presented by GG Petroleum. The band’s lively tribute to the Santana Band, so popular in early festivals of the 60’s, 70’s and beyond, will have the crowd dancing. Festival fun continues into Saturday.
Kicking off Saturday, is Mt Garfield Middle School’s, Just Peachy Run. The Peach Parade happens in Downtown Palisade, at 9:00 am. Grand Marshalls will be generations of growers, whose families started growing peaches, all those years ago and continue today. A Car Show is held in Peach Bowl Park. Saturday’s Festival is 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. Adding to all Fridays activities, Saturday adds, the new Peach BBQ Throw Down that became an instant success last year and grows this year, to greater heights, as more teams join in honoring the Palisade Peach in their delicious BBQ entries, come by and watch as they compete!” Judging and announcement of winners, takes place, 5:00 pm, on stage in Peach Cuisine Tent, along with BBQ Tips, Samples and Tour of BBQ set ups. The music continues all day Saturday, with Grand West Kia’s Saturday entertainment stage, with great popular local bands all day.
Adams reminds us that “You will see special activities and performances throughout the two festival days We’re especially excited to have the Wells Fargo Stage Coach, with their beautiful horses, at the Festival and in the Peach Parade. You can sit in the coach for photo opportunities! Rumor has it you may see a huge walking peach handing out, some Peachful Acts of Kindness”
“Don’t forget, Downtown Palisade features the popular Sunday Farmer’s Market, on that Sunday after the festival, filled with peaches, produce and products, is the perfect finish to the peachiest of weekend!”
Come join us as we celebrate 125 years of peaches and 50 years of festival at our 2018 Palisade Peach Festival presented by American Furniture.
Ticket and festival schedules at: palisadepeachfest.com or call 970-464-7458.
