The 2014 Plains Peanut Festival kicks off September 27 with a street dance, parade and lots of peanuts. The festival is held annually in Plains, Georgia, home of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
The parade begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and Sybil Carter will be honored as the Grand Marshall. No stranger to hard work on a farm, Carter grew up shaking peanuts and picking cotton on her grandfather’s farm in Sumter County. A native of Alabama, she moved with her family to Plains, Georgia, in 1943 where she grew up and married the late Billy Carter in 1955.
They were married for 33 years and together raised six children. Carter says some of her happiest memories are working in the family business, Carter’s Warehouse. She worked there with Billy, Jimmy, Rosalynn and the children of both families for many years. Together, Sybil and the rest of the Carter family watched generations of farming families grow and nurture crops of peanuts and cotton.
Planters’ Mr. Peanut and the NUT Mobile Peanut will be featured in the parade. Created in 1916 by a 12-year-old boy as part of a contest, Mr. Peanut has been an American icon for almost a century. Mr. Peanut first appeared in advertising in 1919. He is now one of the best-known icons in advertising history, and in 2005 Mr. Peanut was inducted into the Advertising Walk of Fame. He was given a makeover and a voice on TV for the first time in 2010.
For more information and to view a schedule of activities, visit the official website of the Plains Peanut Festival at www.plainsgeorgia.com.
