Grapeland Celebrates 81st Annual Peanut Festival

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

GRAPELAND — For a few minutes before the Peanut Festival parade Saturday, Oct. 17, Grapeland Area Chamber of Commerce President and festival chair Samantha Bozeman had the kind of worry familiar to anyone who has ever planned a party: What if nobody comes?

The morning was cold, and the crowd had not yet gathered. After months of preparation, Bozeman found herself wondering whether organizers had done enough.

Then people started arriving.

“The next thing you know, the whole community showed up,” Bozeman said. “And I thought to myself, why am I surprised?”

By the end of the weekend, that turnout had given organizers plenty to celebrate, along with a new Peanut Queen, the return of the Peanut King title and another year of neighbors gathering for one of Grapeland’s favorite traditions.

For Bozeman, some of the most memorable moments happened while she sat at the merchandise booth, watching people find one another.

“You could just see neighbors coming up and hugging each other,” she said.

Some had not seen one another since the previous festival. Others stopped to ask about family members or catch up on the year.

“The helping hands show up. The community turns out,” Bozeman said. “It’s something that is so beautiful to watch.”

The response also made an impression on the carnival operator. Bozeman said operators told her attendance at their earlier festivals had been running about 10% below normal, but Grapeland’s turnout was up.

“They said the community of Grapeland showed up and showed out,” she said.

Bozeman reported a strong crowd for Curtis Grimes on Friday night and positive feedback on Saturday’s three bands.

“I’m really happy that the community was happy with the entertainment that we were able to provide this year,” she said.

The celebration made an especially memorable week for Shaylie Rice, who earned both Grapeland’s homecoming queen crown and the title of 2026 Peanut Queen.

The recognition from her classmates came as a surprise, Rice said, and she was thankful for their support. Then came another moment she was not quite prepared for: hearing her name announced at the Peanut Queen Pageant.

“Literal shock. I was not expecting it,” Rice said. “I just remember hearing it, and then I kind of just blacked out for a moment, and then I had the crown and everything.”

Representing Crockett Eye Clinic, Rice also won Best Talent and Most Photogenic.

Her talent performance was a Statue of Liberty skit tied to the festival’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. Rice told The Messenger memorizing the performance had been the hardest part of preparing.

When it was finally time to take the stage, the audience helped settle her nerves.

“I was very, very nervous,” she said. “The audience was great, and that gave me a lot of motivation to keep going.”

The performance went as she had practiced, she said, with some prayer helping her through the wait backstage.

Rice’s court includes first runner-up Aaliyah Tryon, Miss George Bartee Construction, and second runner-up Hazel Martinez, Miss Tamaleria Los Martinez. Martinez also received Miss Congeniality.

Bozeman praised all three contestants and the preparation evident in their performances.

“We could tell that they really put in a lot of hard work,” she said.

The festival also revived the Peanut King title, with Jett Currie earning the honor through an essay contest for boys, and receiving a $2,000 scholarship. Bozeman said the competition offered another way for young people to participate.

“We’re really excited to be able to get the guys involved as well,” she said.

Rice hopes her year as queen will help encourage more girls to enter the pageant. This year’s competition had three contestants, and she would like to see that number grow.

“I want to try to grow it,” Rice said. “I know we only have three contestants this year. I want more next year.”

She also hopes to use the opportunity to encourage younger girls and share her faith and values. After high school, she plans to pursue a career as an anesthesiologist.

While contestants prepared for the stage and families made plans for the weekend, police and other emergency personnel were coordinating their own preparations.

Grapeland Police Chief Bobby Bishop said the Texas Department of Public Safety, Crockett Police Department and Houston County Sheriff’s Office helped provide coverage during the three-day festival. At least six officers were on duty each day, with additional officers present out of uniform.

“It takes some planning, but everybody was willing to assist us,” Bishop said.

Grapeland officers also attended the school bonfire and homecoming activities to assist the school district’s police department.

For the festival and parade, the city’s water department placed barricades where they were needed, while Grapeland’s volunteer fire department and EMS helped keep events running smoothly.

“Everything went off extremely well without a hitch, even during the parade,” Bishop said.

EMS personnel responded to medical calls during the weekend, and Bishop praised their quick response. He also credited residents and visitors, including those attending family reunions, for being respectful.

Behind the scenes, Bozeman said volunteers handled the smaller problems that inevitably accompany a large event, from parking questions to getting trash to collection bins.

Committee members brought helpers and stepped outside their assigned responsibilities when something needed doing. One volunteer responsible for food helped with the parade.

“We all just blended together and helped each other, and it was really beautiful,” Bozeman said.

She offered special thanks to festival co-chair Meagan Huff.

“I literally would have been lost and could not have done it without her,” Bozeman said.

Organizers are already considering next year. Bozeman hopes to work with the school to bring the band back to the parade after UIL competitions kept it away the past two years.

There is also a more immediate need: additional volunteers. Several key festival committee members will be leaving, and Bozeman encouraged residents to contact the chamber about helping prepare for the 82nd annual Peanut Festival.

People do not have to commit to year-round chamber activities to help with the festival, she said.

“If they don’t want to specifically participate all year long with the chamber, but they just only want to be involved with the Peanut Festival, we are urging the community to reach out to the chamber,” Bozeman said.

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]