Millions of peaches

There was once a time when Marysville was the third largest city in California. A great deal of this growth stemmed from the role the city played in the California gold rush. A century later, Marysville seems to have hit a second gold rush—peaches. Although not typically associated with peaches, Northern California is actually the leading worldwide producer of canned peaches.

In 1999, Jody Sodaro of Sodaro Orchards had an idea for a small street event where she could showcase her peaches for the locals. Today, more than 30,000 people from all over the country flock to the two-day Peach Festival to celebrate their love for peaches. Ice cream, cobblers, shakes, candies and sodas are just a taste of some of the peach-infused foods that will be available this weekend. There will be no shortage of activities with pie-eating and pit-spittin’ contests. For the more health-conscious attendees, a 5k run/walk will help kick-start the event Saturday morning.