Porter celebrates great year for peaches

Jul. 18—People can expect a wider variety at this year's Porter Peach Festival.

That's especially true for this year's peach crop.

"We're probably picking 10 varieties right now, so there's lots of them, different kinds," said Kent Livesay of Livesay Orchards. "Ruston reds, Cresthavens are beginning. July prince, bounty. They're all real good freestone peaches we're harvesting now."

The festival, which runs through Saturday celebrates peaches with all sorts of events.

"It's been just a really good year," said Melanie Merritt, an event coordinator.

Porter's got Talent, 7 p.m. today, will have 15 contestants, she said. The top performer receives a $500 prize.

Children and grown-ups can compete in street games, 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. New games include a hula hoop contest and a game where one person wears a basketball hoop and a partner tries to sink a basketball in the hoop.

Also new is the Find a Peach scavenger hunt.

"We'll have three peaches hidden around town each night and we'll release hints," Merritt said. "Whoever finds the peach will win a cash prize, a festival T-shirt, plus the peach."

Merritt said she expects this year's parade, 11 a.m. Saturday, to be bigger.

"It's an election year, and we have six peach queens who will be representing," she said. "Kevin Grover of Wagoner will be our grand marshal. He's been a longtime supporter of our festival and our community. I know we're going to have lots of Jeeps, classic cars, a good old-fashioned parade. I know the Shriners are planning on being there."

The fundraising peach auction will follow at 12:15 p.m.

"This year we are really hoping to raise that $20,000 mark," Merritt said. "And if we do we're going have enough money to build a new permanent concrete stage."

The stage, will be named for Roy Essary, a longtime peach festival chairman, she said.

The auction has a long history.

"When the festival started, we had lots of local orchards, and each orchard would submit a few half bushels of peaches, we would judge them, and they would be auctioned off," Merritt said. "Now, we only have one orchard left, they are very gracious. They have donated to our community 20 bushels of their top peaches. We'll auction off the best of the best."

The orchard also donated enough peaches for at least 2,000 dishes of peaches and ice cream, to be served at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Krystal Miller-Livesay said 30 to 40 volunteers prepared the peaches earlier this week.

"We have an amazing team this year," she said. "It took us three and a half hours to peel, chop and put all those peaches together for the peaches and ice cream."

Live music will be presented Friday and Saturday.

About 30 vendors will sell crafts, food and other items throughout the festival.