Chilton County Peach Auction sells 33 baskets for over $80,000

By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

The Chilton County Peach Auction raised over $80,000 for the second consecutive year on June 29 as dozens of fresh Chilton County peaches were sold. The final total of $81,000 in this year’s peach auction is the second highest amount raised by hosts the Clanton Lions Club, just behind the all-time record of $84,400 last year. After the auction itself raised $80,800, a $200 donation was made to get to $81,000.

Last year, low numbers of peaches around Chilton County due to a deep freeze during the growing process put the auction in jeopardy. This year, the peach crop in Chilton County flourished, and the farmers came through with 33 baskets of peaches for the auction.

Chilton County Peach Auction Chairman Glenn McGriff said this year’s auction was arguably their most plentiful one with how many baskets that were available, and how big the baskets were at the auction. The baskets were all half-bushel baskets, piling peaches high in the nine-and-a-half inch by 18-inch wide baskets.

“This was a great year (for the Peach Auction), and the farmers needed that,” McGriff said. “Our peach growers and their families work so hard, and to go through what they did last year, it broke my heart. This year, the good Lord just blessed them, everyone had peaches, and I am so proud and happy for them and their families. This is a peach county.”

Before the auction began, judges took a long look at the 33 baskets to pick out the top five. Shelby Concrete set a record for the highest priced basket ever purchased at a Chilton County Peach Auction, buying the first-place basket from Knight Farms for $25,000. Mountain View Orchards placed second with a basket sold to McKinnon Toyota & Nissan, C&J Farms came in third place with a basket sold to McSwinney Auto Group and Jerry Harrison Farm was in fourth place with a basket sold to the Chilton County Farmers Federation. The top four baskets were of the Bounty variety, while the fifth-place basket from JJ’s Produce was the PF-24C variety, and sold to Clanton Tractor & Equipment.

This was the first year for the youth division at the peach auction, and Jeremiah and Jessa Jones from C&J Farms took the top spot, followed by Emeri Burnette of Burnette Farms in second place.

The $81,000 raised by the Clanton Lions Club will be used to make donations to various charities in Chilton County and the State of Alabama, including their Alabama Lions Sight Program.

“The Clanton Lions Club has a lot of people that work hard on this,” McGriff said. “I have been involved in the Peach Festival for 40 years, and this is probably one of the smoothest and best festivals I have ever seen. This community comes together when we need one another, and we have each other’s back. That showed today — these farmers put out a beautiful product, great peaches and you had the businesses show up to buy them. Without those two, we do not have a successful auction, so I cannot thank them enough.”

McGriff thanked the Chilton County Extension Office for their help with judging the auction, Judge Chris Speaks for emceeing, and auctioneer Tommy Glasscock and spotter Carl Allen Wyatt for running the auction.

Peach Auction Results

Top 5 Peach Baskets:

First place — Bounty variety from Knight Farms sold to Bobby Knox with Shelby Concrete.

Second place — Bounty variety from Mountain View Orchards sold to McKinnon Toyota & Nissan.

Third place — Bounty variety from C&J Farms sold to McSwinney Auto Group.

Fourth place — Bounty variety from Jerry Harrison Farm sold to the Chilton County Farmers Federation.

Fifth place — PF-24C variety from JJ’s Produce sold to Clanton Tractor & Equipment.

Top Youth Baskets:

First place — PF-24C variety from Jeremiah and Jessa Jones of C&J Farms sold to Deidra Gadberry-State Farm.

Second place — July Prince variety from Emeri Burnette of Burnette Farms sold to Exit Royal Realty.

Other Baskets Auctioned Off:

Bounty variety from Harrison Fruit Farm sold to Ellison Funeral Home.

PF-24C variety from JJ’s Produce sold to McSweeney Auto Group.

Majestic variety from C&J Farms sold to SunSouth.

July Prince variety from Harrison Fruit Farm sold to Coca-Cola.

July Prince variety from Burnette Farms sold to River Bank & Trust.

Bounty variety from Henry and Suzanne Williams sold to Champ Concrete.

July Prince variety from Henry and Suzanne Williams sold to MorLyn’s Fine Jewelry.

PF 17 variety from JJ’s Produce sold to Pioneer Materials.

Bounty variety from Mountain View Orchards sold to Chilton Republican Party.

Bounty variety from the Auburn Research Extension Center sold to Alabama Rep. Van Smith.

007 variety from Langston Farms sold to The Clanton Advertiser.

Bounty variety from Hal Hayes Farms sold to Champ Concrete.

Bounty variety from Knight Farms sold to Alabama Rep. Van Smith.

Peach Festival Peach variety from the Auburn Research Extension Center sold to Marion Community Bank.

24-007 variety from M&M Farms sold to First Bank of Alabama.

Bounty variety from Knight Farms sold to Deidra Gadberry-State Farm.

July Prince variety from Burnette Farms sold to First Bank of Alabama.

24-007 variety from M&M Farms sold to Judge Bill Lewis.

Bounty variety from Kenneth and Kenyon Easterling sold to Chilton Contractors.

Bounty variety from Patterson Farms sold to Hilyer Law Firm P.C.

Bounty variety from Patterson Farms sold to Martin Funeral Home.

Bounty variety from Hudson Hayes sold to Chilton Contractors.

July Prince variety from Burnette Farms sold to Glenn McGriff.

Bounty variety from Adalyn Knight sold to Judge Chris Speaks.

Bounty variety from Adalyn Knight sold to Exit Royal Realty.

Bounty variety from Patterson Farms sold to Angela Mallinson.

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