Winter Storms Left Peach Orchards With Shortage For Annual Porter Peach Festival

The annual Peach Festival in Porter kicked off July 15, but there is a shortage of the namesake fruit due to winter storms earlier this year.

Still, the community and visitors told News On 6 they will not let the shortage stop them from making the best of this longtime tradition.

At Livesay Orchards, the 120 acres of peach trees usually have 40 varieties that ripen at different times.

“Despite how ready they look right now, they’re still about two weeks from being ready,” said Kyle Livesay. 

Livesay said each tree usually produces 400 peaches a season, but 90 percent of the crop did not make it through the February and April freezes.

“So, there probably won’t be any peaches in the grocery stores this year and not very many at other peoples’ businesses, but it’s still enough to have a decent supply here at our farm store because we’re going to keep almost all of them here this season,” Livesay said. 

At the Peach Barn Orchard and Bakery, employee Jennifer Taylor said the business is relying on other orchards to stock up for the town’s biggest event, the 55th annual Porter Peach Festival.

“We are supplementing in from Texas from another orchard, but we are still picky about our peaches, so the peaches we have are amazing peaches, and they’re really good,” Taylor said. 

There are plenty of other favorites, like peach fried pies and peach ice cream.

Shoppers like Karen O’Connor from Wisconsin don’t mind.

“I’m just glad they’re able to bring some in and still have the festival. I still get to enjoy the peaches,” said O’Connor. 

Over at the Peach Festival, visitors like Kari Claitt from Tulsa said they are excited to take it all in.

“It’s something different for the kids to do, and we want to eat good food and get some peaches,” said Claitt. 

Money made from the festival has paid for a park, soccer club, other community activities and this main stage.

For the full schedule of the festival, visit the website here.