The Georgia Peach Festival in Fort Valley

Fort Valley, Georgia’s Peach City

In this post, I am going to put the spotlight back on my home state of Georgia.  In fact, it’s going to be about something that’s quintessentially Georgia:

PEACHES.

Please allow me to introduce you to a small town in middle Georgia by the name of Fort Valley.

Welcome to Fort Valley!

Despite having lived in the peach state for almost 15 years, I knew nothing about Fort Valley until this past summer.  It all came about when my mother-in-law mentioned an article in the Parade magazine about food festivals across the United States.  For Georgia, the choice was probably pretty obvious: The Peach Festival, held every June in Fort Valley.  Yet, somehow Johnny and I had never heard or even thought about it.  So without a doubt, a day trip to this interesting event was in order.

The band stand in downtown Fort Valley

The festival itself actually took place over a 9-day period.  In that time frame, various activities were held on a daily basis.  One could participate in a road race, dance competition, the Peach idol, and of course there’s the peach eating contest.  Since we live about 2 hours away, we had to arrange a time when Johnny and I could make it down to Fort Valley.

You got that right: World’s Largest Peach Cobbler

We decided to attend the last day of the festival.  The reason was very simple: on that Saturday, the town of Fort Valley would serve the world’s largest peach cobbler.

Downtown Fort Valley during the Peach Festival

Since the peach cobbler was not going to be ready until 2 PM, we had time to wander around the downtown area, and checked out a couple of booths.  To tell you the truth, I ran out of energy pretty quickly.  It was a typical sweltering hot day in the South, and all I wanted to do was find a shaded area so I could sit and rest.

I did, however, took a lot of interest at the historic buildings along Church Street.

The Peach County Court House

The Fort Valley Police Department

In my quest of finding a cool place to rest, I sat down on the porch of this historic house. I had no idea that it was a private property, and Johnny thought I was going to get arrested for trespassing.

While I was busy snapping pictures, Johnny stood in line waiting for the cobbler to be served.

Waiting in line for the world’s largest peach cobbler

Can’t you tell that there were a lot of people who would like to get a taste of this classic Southern dessert?

A local reporter trying to get a shot of the cobbler before things got too messy

Finally, the most anticipated event of the festival has arrived.  We could see staff members scooping out big buckets of the cobbler, and portioning them out into small bowls.

This is quite an experience

Mommy, Daddy, which one is my bowl?

And here’s the reward for our patience: a chance to have the bragging right that we have had a piece of the world’s largest peach cobbler.

Finally!

My story of Fort Valley doesn’t end here.  On our next stop, we visited an orchard that has been growing peaches for over 100 years.  Please stay tuned for my upcoming blog post…  More peaches are coming your way!