Palisade Peach Festival Celebrates Record Attendance

The 2009 Palisade Peach Festival was another one for the record books. “We enjoyed a record number of visitors to all of our events,” said festival chairman, Leif Johnson. “With our new activities, attendance to all of the Peach Festival’s events over the four-day period was up 9 percent. “Attendance to all events over the four-day period was over 31,500,” said Johnson. “The Peach Festival at Riverbend Park was right around 10,000 paid admissions – our second-best year ever at the Park.”

New activities included the Alpaca Showcase, events in downtown Palisade Friday and Saturday evenings, and the Union Pacific Railroad’s Historic Miniature Parade Train. Governor Bill Ritter, Senator Michael Bennett, and Secretary of State Bernie Buescher enjoyed a visit to the Peach Festival at Riverbend Park Saturday afternoon, coinciding with President Obama’s trip to the Grand Valley. “Michelle Obama and daughters enjoyed a visit to High Country Orchards,” Johnson said. “And Air Force One left Grand Junction Regional Airport with cases of Palisade Peaches.”