Chilton County was well represented by residents, peach queens, farmers and politicians Friday morning for the annual Peach Festival Kick-off at Durbin Farms Market.

Each of last year’s peach queens gathered for photographs, greetings and the all-important ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially start the 2010 Chilton County Peach Festival and peach season overall.

A healthy cluster of patrons gathered to celebrate the kick-off, eating peach ice cream cones and purchasing as much produce as they could. Peaches along with watermelons, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and more were all ripe for the picking.

Durbin Farms owner Danny Jones happily greeted customers and onlookers as the peach season finally got underway.

The event was organized by the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce. Chamber president Pennie Broussard, decked out in a lime green Peach Jam Jubilee T-shirt, said everybody had a great time planning and attending the kick-off.

Peach farmers have praised this year’s crop, although the fruit has come in later than usual.

E.L. Buddy Lawley, owner of Lawley’s Chilton County Peaches, insists it’s one of the best he’s ever seen in more than 60 years of peach farming.