26th Plains Peanut Festival celebrates harvest, honors Jimmy Carter
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From staff reports
TIFTON — The 26th annual Plains Peanut Festival is scheduled for Saturday in Plains, the home of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
The event highlights the harvest of its cash crop, peanuts, which has big potential across the globe by providing a sustainable and nutritious product and aids in the fight against malnutrition. Georgia leads the nation in annual peanut production, accounting for nearly half of all the peanuts grown in the United States.
Farmers across the United States have begun harvesting peanuts, the sustainable crop that helps to replenish the soil with nutrients. Peanuts also are known for their health benefits, officials with the Georgia Peanut Commission said in a news release. Peanuts contain more protein than any other nut, and research continues to show that consuming a little less than a serving of peanuts a day is an effective way to reduce heart disease.
Globally, peanuts are helping fight malnutrition by providing a therapeutic, ready-to-eat product made in Fitzgerald by MANA Nutrition.
Festivities throughout the day Saturday include free entertainment, historical and educational displays, food vendors, as well as arts and crafts booths. The Peanut Institute, National Peanut Board, American Peanut Shellers Association, Georgia Peanut Commission, Hormel/Planters and the National Peanut Buying Points Association will display exhibits in the Peanut Pavilion beginning at 9 a.m.
Mr. Peanut will officially lead the festival parade, which begins at 11 a.m., and the Wise family will be honored as the Grand Marshalls. The Wise family heritage dates back to the 1860s when the family migrated from South Carolina, making them some of the first settlers in the Plains area. Phil, son of PJ and Mary Wynn Wise, and Lonnie, son of Morgan and Ann Wise, have followed their ancestors’ footsteps through community and church involvement in Plains.
Phil Wise, Plains High School Class of 1969, graduated from Georgia Tech and served on Jimmy Carter’s gubernatorial staff, his 1975 presidential campaign and his administration from 1977-1981. Phil retired as vice president of operations and development at the Carter Center in 2022 and continues serving Plains as a board member of the Friends of Jimmy Carter.
Lonnie Wise, Plains High School Class of 1968, graduated from Georgia Southwestern State University after serving in the U.S. Army. A career with Georgia Power Company led him back to Plains, where he serves on the board of the Plains Historical Preservation Trust, Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail and as a Deacon at Plains Baptist Church.
SAM Shortline will arrive in Plains at 10:45 a.m., and there will be several round-trip rides from Plains to the Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm in Archer. The festival street dance featuring Slaughter Creek will be held live on Main Street beginning at 7 p.m.
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