PAVO — Residents of Pavo flocked together for another successful celebration of the annual Peacock Festival.
Now on its 37th year of festivities, the event made a return to the city May 11, bringing the food, music, and fun Pavo residents have known and enjoyed since 1988.
Celebrations kicked off with performances from the JSC and Hahira Cloggers, followed by the Peacock Parade, which saw various organizations, groups, and figures from the community make their way down West McDonald Street, including the Pavo Volunteer Fire Department, the Yellow Jacket Band of Thomas County Central High School, and Pavo Mayor Bobby Hancock.
Following this, festival patrons were encouraged to browse the selection of vendors and attractions the event had to offer.
Local vendors of all kinds encircled the Peacock Center, providing homemade treats, classic festival food, and handmade crafts and goods for residents to enjoy. A handful of vendors set up shop inside the center, sharing space with festival veterans the Pavo Quilters, who were hard at work on a new quilt pattern in celebration of the event.
Festival mainstays the Morgan Collins Band performed throughout the afternoon, playing a selection of covers from the best names in classic rock.
Alongside a handful of new vendors was an art gallery organized in partnership with local Pavo and Thomasville artists, who arranged a collection of their works for guests to peruse and even purchase. One artist even had a blank canvas set up for patrons to add a stroke or splash of color to as they saw fit.
Attendees could also take part in or simply watch an invitational softball tournament held at the baseball field near the Peacock Center. Various softball teams stepped up to the plate and went head to head during the festival, aiming for the grand prize of $100 per team member.
As the festivities drew to a close, festival organizers announced the winners of the event’s competitions — the best floats from the parade and a drawing for the quilt made by the Pavo Quilters.
Floats were separated into categories for church, school, local organizations, and commercial businesses, with Salem Baptist Church, Thomas County High, the Miss Pavo pageant, and Southern Quality Propane being declared the winners of each category. The quilt, stylized with the image of a peacock and a pattern to match, was awarded to Bobby Ferguson.
In the wake of this year’s festival, organizers expressed satisfaction with the turnout and reception, particularly pleased with the interest in the new art gallery and showing interest in making it a regular attraction at the event.