SUFFOLK, Va. — The Suffolk Peanut Festival is preparing to celebrate its 48th year with a theme focused on family, memories and the traditions that bring generations together.
This year’s theme, “Celebrating Generations, One Picture-Perfect Memory at a Time,” was chosen by festival chairwoman Kate Rawls, whose own family has deep roots in the event.
“My parents were volunteers of the Peanut Fest, so growing up we were there all four days,” Rawls said.
For Rawls, the festival has been a family tradition for as long as she can remember. One of her favorite memories involves the $20 her mother gave her on Thursday nights as spending money.
“It’s a fun story because my mom still gives us $20 today, even as an adult,” Rawls said. “Peanut Fest has been a part of our family forever.”
Visitors can expect many of the festival staples they look forward to each year, including peanut sculpting, the demolition derby and live music.
Organizers are also adding new experiences this year, including butterfly feeding and a drone show on Saturday.
Families can visit the Birdsong Peanut Tent to get boiled peanuts and see antique peanut pickers. Other activities include a petting zoo, pony rides and the Imagination Station.
“You are literally creating memories with your families that will last year to year,” said publicity coordinator for the festival, Theresa Earles.
The theme was inspired by Rawls’ own memories of the festival and the photographs her family has collected over the years.
“Looking through old photo albums, pulling things out of drawers, it just really stuck out to me that we have so many pictures and memories at the Peanut Fest,” Rawls said. “I just really wanted to celebrate what it meant to everyone.”
The 48th annual Suffolk Peanut Festival runs Thursday, Oct. 8, through Sunday, Oct. 11.
The festival is rain or shine, so organizers recommend visitors come prepared for changing weather.
Admission is free on opening day. After Thursday, admission is $10 for visitors age 13 and older.
Organizers are encouraging visitors to take plenty of pictures and make new memories as they celebrate generations of families and the traditions that make the Suffolk Peanut Festival a yearly tradition.
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