Celebrating delicious Palisade peaches with a summer festival, usually held the 3rd weekend in August, has been a long-time tradition in Colorado. “Peach Day” celebrations started in the 1890s, including a number of events that were held in Grand Junction. The first “Peach Festival” held in Palisade was on September 16th, 1930. It was sponsored by the East Orchard Mesa Women’s Club. It included displays of fruit, vegetables, peaches, flowers, and farm products of the Western Slope. There was a “delicious chicken dinner” served at noon, two bands, and a dance in the evening on the United Fruit Growers’ Association platform. Peaches were distributed to as many as 3,000 people, and prizes were awarded for the best entries in over three dozen categories, including various varieties of peaches, grapes, and even walnuts

In 1938, Palisade’s Dorothy Tharp was crowned Peach Queen at what was touted as the “Second Annual Peach Festival” at lakeside Park in Denver. It was sponsored by the Denver & Rio Grande Western railroad at the beginning of Colorado Peach Week from August 27 to September 3, as proclaimed by Governor Teller Ammons.

No festivals were held in the 1950s or 1960s, although in 1954, The Palisade Tribune sponsored a Peach Recipe Contest with prizes, including tickets to the Elberta Theater for the best recipes each week.

In the mid-20th Century, most everyone in Palisade was needed to work during harvest, and few would have extra time to plan and execute a festival. Also, the devastating winter kill of 1962-63 which destroyed peach trees and many orchards—and other freezes in the next few years drastically reduced the size of our peach crops—likely contributed to the lack of formal peach festival celebrations. During that time however, the Town and the Palisade Lions Club consistently held July 4th events with a parade, booths, races, the traditional Firemen’s water fight, and other activities before the three-week Standard Elberta peach harvest began in August.

After years of intermittent celebrations, the Peach Festival was revived in 1975. It was sponsored by the Palisade Chamber of Commerce and held in Palisade Park. Jacque Gerhard was the Peach Queen and Kitty Hines was the 1976 Peach Festival Queen. There were no festivals held in 1977, 1978, or 1979. In 1980, the festival resumed and was called “Palisade Days” with a peach recipe contest, bake sales, artists, clowns, and sidewalk sales.

The August 16, 1984 event was described as the 10th Peach Festival – “Peach of the West,” though no peach festival was held in 1974. Dixie Burmeister revived the peach recipe contest in 1984 and has helped give the Peach Festival much-appreciated momentum for nearly 40 years.

Palisade has been the Peach Capital of Colorado for more than 130 years, and we will be celebrating the 57th Peach Festival in 2025! Courtesy of the Palisade Chamber of Commerce with supporting information from the Palisade Historical Society. Click below to learn about the Faces of the Harvest and the many workers who come to Palisade from Mexico through the H-2A visa program to help our farmers harvest peaches and other fruits.