Gettin' Peachy: Folsom's Peach Festival draws thousands

After cancellation last year, the annual Peach Festival made its return to Folsom Sunday. When it came to family fun, delicious treats and a crowd, it's safe to say the event's return was "just peachy" and bountiful in all those departments and more. As soon as the event opened at 10 a.m. on Sunday, the parking garage was rapidly filling and attendees of all ages were making their way into the Historic Folsom Plaza for a warm and "fuzzy" day of fun. Whether it was fresh peaches or other natural foods visitors were seeking, live music, or activities for the kids, the all-day affair offered something for everyone. The annual Peach Festival is presented by Living Smart Farmers Markets and Foundation, the same organization that presents the weekly Folsom Saturday Farmers Markets. Living Smart Farmers Markets is a nonprofit focusing on supporting small businesses and local commerce. The event supports education programs offered to youth ages 14 to 24 in financial literacy and entrepreneurship. All students who participate in the programs are also offered the opportunity to work in the markets as well. According to Marie Hall, executive director of the organization, Sunday's event was a great success with thousands of visitors, a variety of vendors and plenty of smiles. "We had over 3,000 people come through, the kids' zone was a great success with games, prizes, face painting and balloon animals," said Hall. "We had seven farmers selling peaches of all kinds, yellow, white, donut and keystone. All of them sold out by 2:30." Vendors provided peach-themed meals and products that included everything from gourmet hotdogs with spicy peach condiment, street tacos with a peach salsa, peach-flavored cotton candy, peach ice cream, peach pies, cobblers, turnovers, peach- flavored lemonade and iced tea. This year, adult palettes were pleased with peach mead, bellinis and sangria. Throughout the day, visitors had the opportunity to participate in various contests, including a peach dessert contest and several peach-eating contests where more than a dozen people, both kids and adults, donned a bib, placed their hands behind them and went face first into a giant plate of peaches and whipped cream to try and be the first-, second- or third-place finisher. "People really loved the game and especially enjoyed the fresh peaches we plated with whipped cream," said Hall, who was engaged with the crowd, preparing the plate's rules to each set of contestants. "The peaches were prepared by blanching them, peeling the skins and cutting them into bite sized pieces. All natural, no sugar added!" At the noon hour, the event held a demonstration with vegan chef Twyla Teitzel, a personal chef who teaches people how to live a plant-based life. Teitzel prepared a fresh chunky peach salsa that included onions, cilantro, peaches and other fresh ingredients purchased at the weekly farmers market . When it came to the dessert baking contest, ambassadors from the Folsom Historic District had the tough job of judging all of the entries. Tasting each one and completing a scorecard to rate it, the judges narrowed down the winners to the top three. The first-place winner was resident Annie Brown who prepared a Peach Parfait. The second-place winner was Momma Bear Bakery with a caramel peach cupcake and third-place was Karen Holmes from Karen's Bakery with a peach crumb pie. Live music throughout the day was presented by Dirty Cello playing upbeat bluegrass with a little rock 'n' roll along with the mellow sounds of Root Project playing reggae to wrap up the day. The event brought Sutter Street merchants plenty of diners, drinkers and shoppers throughout the day strolling Sutter Street and visiting the many unique shops the district offers. "We want to thank the city of Folsom and the Historic Folsom for their continued support," said Hall. "It is truly a labor of love!