Beatrice Marron took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let her nostrils absorb the aroma around her. While silence wasn't necessary, those around her nonetheless said nothing in the moment.
Then, she opened her eyes and said with a smile excitedly, "You can just smell the freshness!"
Marron, a relative newcomer to Weatherford, moved to the area two years ago from the state of Washington. She was attending her second Parker County Peach Festival. Given her excitement, she will probably never miss one as long as she lives here.
And, who knows, if she moves away, she may even make the journey back. The annual event, in its 38th year, is popular both locally and with folks from all over.
"I love it. I just love it," Marron continued. I love to see the community come together at such a nice event. So many smiles, so many peaches!"
From the freshest of peaches to peach cobbler to peach ice cream and even foot long corn dogs, there were treats and goodies for everyone. Vendors galore were handing out freebies for a spin of the wheel, or just for stopping by and saying hi.
Chris Quintana, also somewhat new to the area from California, was also attending his second Peach Festival. His favorite part? The samples.
"I love that you get to try all the different items before you buy them. Then, the hard choice is which ones to buy?" he said.
Of course, some just buy them all, or at least it seems like. An example was Kathy Mulvey of Flower Mound, who had a wagon filled with peaches and other assorted goodies.
"I'm going to take this to work and eat it," she said, pointing at some cobbler. "And I discovered this new wine dye. I can't wait to try that."
Her friend, Margo Moore, also from Flower Mound, added, "We come here every year. It's just a fun thing we look forward to."
Mulvey continued, "I came here with my grandmother when she was still alive. It was a lot smaller then."
Tina Lacey and her daughter-in-law Caitlin were in town from Arkansas. This was Tina's third visit and the first for Caitlin.
When asked why she keeps coming back, Tina said with a laugh, "It sure ain't the heat!" Then, she added, "It's a great way to spend time with family, and I really like the crafts."
Caitlin's favorite part, she said, "I like all the vendors, and I like listening to the music. It kind of reminds me of something we have back home in West Fork called the Apple Festival in November - only it's a lot hotter here."
Young Jonathan Hernandez, visiting with his mother from Dallas, was excited because he sent someone into the dunk tank at one of the booths with a single pitch. And yes, he does plan to play baseball in high school.
"That felt great!" he said. "I'm having fun."
Given the heat, it probably felt great for the man who was dunked also. And he was dunked a lot, which should make area baseball coaches looking for pitchers happy.
"I love that it's an open festival, everybody can have a fun time, be outdoors. It's just a fun family oriented event," said his mother, Adrianna Hernandez. "We came two years ago and had a fantastic time, and we're having a wonderful time today."
Paul Harris, from Mineral Wells, was making his third visit. His wife comes every year, he said. When he attends he's a man with a mission.
"I like seeing all the vendors, but I have something in particular I look for every time," he said. "I buy these palm leaf hats. I look for them every time I come here."
Then, he pointed to the hat he was wearing and said, "I just bought this one a few minutes ago. It's fantastic for keeping the sun off me. Well worth the price. And they make it for you right in front of you while you watch."
Dan Massey of Joshua is another person with something special in mind when he attends. However, his item cannot be made in front of him — at least not at the Festival.
"So far, so fun," he said, holding a large box of peaches. "We do a lot of homemade ice cream - and peach moonshine. You can't beat that combination.
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