self-promote, unless they are big peach sponsors. Small
local businesses can self-advertise with free activities for
the children.
Peach farmers still showcase their fruits, and vendors
continue to provide classic recipes — from peach cobbler
to ice cream and of course iced tea: a true Texas staple.
The festival really has evolved from a small-town celebra-
tion into a famous Texas tradition.
“The Peach Festival is such a memorable part of our
year, so much so that one of our citizens took the time
to hunt down such pieces of history,” said Terri Smith.
“Nadeen Murphree, with the help of her daughter Donna
Tillman and Tammy Gazzola, found T-shirts from the
1988 festival all the way to 2012 and made a wonderful
quilt to commemorate the Peach Festival’s history. This
beautiful quilt now hangs each year in the Holland Lake
Senior Care Center, another reminder of what the Peach
Festival means to our community.”
This year, the 2017 Peach Festival will offer live enter-
tainment, with two stages for adults and one children’s
stage. There will be bounce houses, a children’s train,
food stalls, a 42 Tournament and other carnival-type
attractions. The 33 rd Annual Parker County Peach Festival
may be the largest Peach Festival yet, with reports of
quickly sold-out vendor spots, 50,000 people expected
to attend and visitors from all around the state, as well as
the country. Attendees are in for a fun-filled day.
The festival is also a major economic boost to the
economy of Weatherford. With businesses reporting
major growth in profits, the event really does prove that
the Peach Festival is a perfect way to connect us with our
history, with our community and with people from other
communities.
It’s hard to disagree with Peggy Hutton, who said,
“Our Peach Festival is an experience you can’t get
anywhere else.”
Peach Festival 2014
Photo by Zach Peterson
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