Here in Fort Collins, we a-peach-iate the community! That means family fun filled with activities, music, food, and memories to share. Fort Collins’ 12th annual Peach Festival is the place to be. After having to skip a few summers, the Rotary Club’s Peach Festival community chair David Haase, tells us that they’re back in business and ready to welcome everyone with open arms.
I asked Haase what crowd favorites there are for us to look forward to and it was quite the list! In such a music-based community, you can’t host an event without live music. You’ll get to experience performances from School of Rock and local high school bands for the younger attendees, along with Mariachi Sol de Mi Tierra with dancers from Fiesta Colorado Dance Company and Clark Street Station just to name a few. “Live music was a favorite and is even more so now cause, I mean, you see so many people now that are like ‘I want to get back out,’ ‘I want to do things,’ ‘I want to travel, ‘I want to be with large groups of people again,’ ‘I want to go to sporting events, festivals,’ and the last couple years there’s just not a lot of that being done,” Haase states, “Should be a blast!”
For those who are more food motivated, you’re in luck! Local vendors, food trucks, brewers, and of course peach-themed goodness are just a few oh-so-sweet treats you can expect to see. The best part? Full access to hundreds of fresh Palisade peaches brought down from the Grand Junction area on the west slope just for you! “Palisade peaches are, you know, nationally famous peaches and they’re fantastic. I always tell people that next year you’re going to ask me ‘when can I get them?’ and that’s exactly what happens,” he says, “it is a cool time of year here in Colorado.”
You can’t have a peach festival without the love of people! Hasse extends his arms to anyone who wants to play a part in this popular event. I asked Haase what the word community means to him, his response was that community means “no exclusions,” giving everyone the chance to participate whether you’re a guest, performer, or vendor. “There’s a lot of great entrepreneurial people out there and we want to make sure that they take part with us.”
With many jobs suffering in the last couple of years, Hasse took every opportunity to allow business owners and workers to earn their living. “Well, with these festivals going away for the last couple of years,” he states, “a lot of these small businesses, food trucks, and places like that didn’t have as many, you know, chances to go out and earn a living. They didn’t have the chance to participate as they had in the past and we’re glad that we can keep this going as best we can.”
This Summer, Fort Collins is once again bringing its beloved community together for a day of music, games, and sweet treats! Join the fun on August 27th at the Holiday Twin Drive-In, we can’t wait!
The Perfect Palisade Peach Cobbler
Level: Easy ｜Total time: 1 hr 10 min ｜Active: 25 min ｜Yield: 4 - 6 servings
Filling:
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¼ teaspoon kosher salt
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½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
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¾ cup sugar
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2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
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Last but not least, 5 Palisade peaches!
Cut peaches into ¼-inch-thick slices. This should take up to about 5 cups.
Place all ingredients into a medium sized saucepan and over medium heat to cook.
Stir occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and peach juices are beginning to boil. From here, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes, then remove.
Batter:
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¼ teaspoon kosher salt
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½ stick unsalted butter
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½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
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1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
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¾ all purpose flour
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¾ cup sugar
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¾ cup of room temperature milk
Place butter in a 2-quart baking dish and place in the oven while preheating 350 degrees F. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, stir the vanilla and milk and slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Continue whisking until all ingredients are mixed well.
Take cobbler out of the oven and evenly pour a layer of batter over the melted butter. Over the batter, spoon the peaches and peach juice over the top of the batter. Bake in the oven for 35 - 45 minutes until peach juices are bubbling and the cobbler is golden brown.
Last steps!
Let the cobbler cool to room temperature before serving and enjoy!
Pro tip! The perfect peach cobbler is best served with a scoop of sweet vanilla ice cream on top.
