LEITERSBURG- The Leitersburg Ruritan Club will host its 44th Annual Peach Festival on August 12-13, 2023. The festival is free to attend and features free parking and entertainment. The event celebrates the peach agricultural heritage of Washington County’s orchards.
Hundreds of volunteers work to make the festival an enjoyable and safe experience for all visitors. Money raised from the festival supports local businesses, orchards, the Volunteer Fire Department, and Ruritan community projects. Visitors are asked to be patient and respectful of the volunteers.
The festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday, August 12, and Sunday, August 13. There will also be a Peach Festival 5K race on Sunday, August 13, at 8 a.m.
Food vendors will be set up on the blacktop, pavilion, and in the community center. The menu includes pit beef sandwiches, sausage sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches, BBQ beef sandwiches, hand-cut french fries, chicken tenders, hamburgers, hot dogs, homemade peach cobbler, peach pies, and peach ice cream. Cash, credit, and debit cards will be accepted. Inside the community center, there is an air-conditioned dining area and a dessert express line.
The festival will have approximately 110 craft vendors featuring a wide variety of products to purchase, including arts and crafts, jewelry, baskets, metalwork, woodwork, pottery, spices, honey, peanuts, candles, knives, lotions, and more. The Ruritan Club will also host a raffle featuring products from the vendors, with a handmade quilt being the grand prize.
The festival will feature free live music on Saturday and Sunday, as well as live demonstrations, including live chainsaw carving and a live blacksmith demonstration. Activities for families include pony rides, a barrel train, and the Peach Festival 5K race.
Proceeds from the Peach Festival support Leitersburg Ruritan activities, including maintenance and upkeep of the Ruritan Park and Community Center, Ruritan Scholarship Programs, assistance to families, sponsoring Scouting Troop 108, and sponsoring youth programs and sports teams.