Cobden Peach Festival planned Friday, Saturday
The 81st annual Cobden Peach Festival is planned Friday and Saturday, Aug. 3-4. The festival is sponsored by the Cobden Lions Club.
Most of the Peach Festival activities take place at Cobden Lions Club property adjacent to the Cobden School and at the Cobden Community Park.
The festival is scheduled to get underway at 5 p.m. each day.
Highlights of the Peach Festival include a queen pageant, live entertainment, a 5K run/walk and 1-mile fun run, a parade, rides, games, bingo, a raffle and food – including plenty of peach cobbler.
The queen pageant is scheduled to take place on both nights of the festival.
The pageant is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. on Friday. The 2018 queen will be crowned Saturday night.
Live entertainment on Friday is slated to feature King Juba, starting at 6 p.m. Lone Howl is set to perform Saturday, also starting at 6 p.m.
The 5K run/walk and 1-mile fun run are set for 7:30 a.m. Saturday. The events begin near the Cobden Community Park.
The Peach Festival parade is set for 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The parade is sponsored by the Village of Cobden. The parade route is through downtown Cobden.
The Peach Festival raffle will feature many prizes.
Museum Open
The Union County Museum and its resale shop located on South Appleknocker Street in downtown Cobden are scheduled to be open on Friday and Saturday during the Cobden Peach Festival.
Museum hours are planned from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both days.
The Union County Museum plans to present a display about the early history of Union County. The county is celebrating its bicentennial in 2018.
“Cobden at Night”
The Union County Historical and Genealogy Society plans to present a special exhibit titled “Cobden at Night.”
The display will feature a group of photos by retired Southern Illinois University Carbondale professor Charles Swedlund of scenes he photographed in 1975 after the setting of the sun in Cobden.
The exhibit will be at the society’s resource and cultural center at 103 N. Appleknocker (the former Cobden medical clinic).
Hours for the exhibit are scheduled from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.