81st Grapeland Peanut Festival Celebrates Tradition, America’s 250th Birthday
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
GRAPELAND — For more than eight decades, fall in Grapeland has meant peanuts, parades, carnival rides and a downtown filled with people.
That tradition returns Thursday, Oct. 15, through Saturday, Oct. 17, when the 81st annual Grapeland Peanut Festival takes over Grapeland City Park and much of the town for what has grown into arguably the largest annual festival in Houston County.
Dating back to 1945, the festival has become far more than a single Saturday event. This year’s celebration will stretch across three days, overlap with Grapeland High School’s homecoming festivities and carry a red, white and blue theme celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
For Grapeland Area Chamber of Commerce President Samantha Bozeman, it will also mark her first Peanut Festival at the helm of the organization responsible for putting it all together.
Bozeman moved to Grapeland about four years ago and opened a salon. As a business owner, she said she quickly developed an interest in helping the local business community grow and became involved with the chamber.
“I just have a passion for all the businesses, myself included, and I would like to see the area continue to grow and see the businesses thrive,” Bozeman said. “I just enjoy being a part of the community.”
After several years of participating with the chamber, Bozeman was elected president in January.
“I have been blessed to have the opportunity to serve the community of Grapeland,” she said.
She had already gotten an inside look at the Peanut Festival before taking over. Last year, she helped with the parade, and what surprised her most was not how many people it took to put on Houston County’s biggest festival, but how few.
“I was literally looking for everybody’s superhero capes, because I thought, ‘There’s no way these nine or 10 individuals come together and do this entire event,’” Bozeman said.
Behind that small core group is another wave of people who appear when festival weekend arrives, helping wherever they are needed.
“There’s about nine or 10 core people, but then the day of, you probably have another 12 or 15 that come and help,” Bozeman said. “It really inspired me.”
For someone who had not grown up in Grapeland, she said watching that network of volunteers materialize was one of her first glimpses of what goes on behind one of the county’s longest-running traditions.
“Seeing people come together to make something happen, I thought, ‘Where did y’all all come from?’” she said.
Now, in her first year as president, Bozeman is seeing even more of what happens before anyone climbs aboard a carnival ride or finds a place along the parade route.
Some of it is exciting. Some of it is decidedly less glamorous.
“For instance, the porta potties,” Bozeman laughed. “You don’t think about the porta potties, but when you have that many people coming together in a group, there are so many little things like that.”
She said learning all of those details has at times been overwhelming, but the people working alongside her have kept the festival moving.
“It literally could not function without them,” Bozeman said. “It couldn’t happen without everybody.”
This year, those efforts come with an unmistakably patriotic backdrop.
The festival will celebrate America’s 250th birthday, extending a celebration that for most people peaked around the Fourth of July.
Bozeman, however, sees no reason to confine a good birthday to one day.
“I’m the type of girl that likes to celebrate my birthday all year long,” she said.
That means red, white and blue will be found throughout the festival, including in Saturday’s parade and other activities.
The carnival will operate during all three days of the festival, with wristbands available Thursday through Saturday. Thursday will feature Family Night before Friday combines two Grapeland traditions into one busy evening.
The Grapeland Sandies will host Cross Roads for the school’s homecoming football game Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. Once the game ends, attention will turn back toward the festival for the Friday night street dance and music in the park.
Country artist Curtis Grimes will headline the evening, scheduled to perform from 9:30 to 11 p.m., with music beginning earlier in the evening.
“We hope people come out and listen and eat some snacks and ride some rides and just enjoy the music,” Bozeman said.
Saturday begins with one of the festival’s signature events, the Peanut Festival Parade at 10 a.m.
And this year, people lining the parade route may want to bring something capable of carrying their haul home.
Bozeman said parade participants are being encouraged to toss candy and other goodies to spectators, something organizers are hoping will add another bit of old-fashioned fun to the morning.
“Who doesn’t like taking home a bunch of goodies from a small-town parade?” she said.
Following the parade, activity returns to Grapeland City Park, where live music is scheduled throughout the day alongside food, arts and crafts vendors and other activities.
Saturday evening will bring another longtime festival tradition with the Peanut Queen Pageant at 6 p.m. at Lorena Shoultz Auditorium.
There will also be something new at this year’s pageant. Organizers have introduced a King’s essay competition, with winners scheduled to be announced during the evening.
“We’re really excited to be able to get the guys involved as well,” Bozeman said.
Festival season actually gets an early start Saturday, Oct. 10, when the Peanut Princess Pageant is held at 2 p.m. at Grapeland High School Auditorium. Doors are scheduled to open at 1:30 p.m.
For all of the new additions, organizers have also been looking backward, asking what familiar pieces of the festival should be brought back.
One answer was surprisingly obvious.
Peanuts.
“They can expect some peanuts for sale at the Chamber of Commerce booth,” Bozeman said. “We haven’t had that the last couple years, but we’re trying to bring that back because I know everybody wants to know where the peanuts are for the Peanut Festival.”
Returning food vendors will join new food and craft vendors, and Bozeman said organizers are also adding interactive activities that have not been part of recent festivals.
It is that combination of familiar traditions and something a little different that Bozeman hopes will appeal both to the family that has attended for generations and the visitor making the drive to Grapeland for the first time.
“If they’ve never come, I hope they come and expect to see some traditions,” Bozeman said. “But if they’ve come for 20 years, I hope they come to enjoy the traditions, but also experience some new things that we’re bringing to the community.”
PEANUT FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE
SATURDAY, OCT. 10
• Peanut Princess Pageant — 2 p.m., Grapeland High School Auditorium
• Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, OCT. 15
• Festival opens
• Family Night
• Carnival rides and wristbands available
FRIDAY, OCT. 16
• Carnival rides, food and festival activities
• Grapeland High School Homecoming — Sandies vs. Cross Roads, 7 p.m.
• Friday night street dance/music in the park
• Curtis Grimes — 9:30-11 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCT. 17
• Peanut Festival Parade — 10 a.m.
• Live music begins at 11 a.m. and continues throughout the afternoon
• Food, arts and crafts, carnival rides and festival activities throughout the day
• Peanut Queen Pageant — 6 p.m., Lorena Shoultz Auditorium
• King’s essay winners announced during the pageant
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
