NJ Peach Festival A No Go This Year

by David Madden

MANNINGTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (CBS) -- A popular peach festival in South Jersey is taking a year off, but that doesn't mean the tasty fruit can't be found in the Garden State this season.

An early April freeze killed off some of the state crop. But that's not the only reason why the New Jersey Peach Festival is on hold. Santo Maccherone, a Salem County farmer, heads up the New Jersey Peach Promotion Council. He says volunteers pulled out for personal reasons, and they couldn't find a replacement in time.

"We have got to find the right person again because it's very, very difficult to do and the people who did it before were very, very good," Maccherone told KYW Newsradio.

Expectations are to have the event next year. By the way, Maccherone says the 2015 Peach Queen, 19 year old Tori Hepler, has agreed to serve for an additional year.

It should be stressed that the Gloucester County 4H show, which is connected to the Peach Festival, is still on for the last weekend in July in Mullica Hill.

Now as for those peaches, Maccherone says "There's certain areas of the state that are really, really bad and certain areas of the state that are in better shape. The Peach Promotion Council is guessing that there's 75% of a full crop."

Another thing. Expect to pay a little more for them.