- The 37th annual Central Florida Peanut Festival took place in downtown Williston with nearly 2,000 attendees, surpassing the 2019 attendance record.
- Levy County vendors sold baked goods, local peanuts, and political candidates campaigned amid a diverse crowd including families and local groups.
- The Levy County Chamber of Commerce organizes the festival, which grows alongside the local peanut-driven business community.
Despite early morning rain, dozens of Levy County vendors lined the sidewalks of downtown Williston on Saturday for the 37th annual Central Florida Peanut Festival.
As the clouds parted, crowds of mostly families squeezed between vendor tents offering baked goods, peanuts from local farms and politicians vying for votes. Free Bibles and prayer were also offered along the same corridor as the Confederate heritage group that sold Southern flags.
Under the pavilion, attendees gathered to watch the Mustang Cloggers perform after the peanut king and queen were crowned. The crowds made moving through the festival difficult at times. According to Tonya Masciulli, an ambassador with Guardian Gas Solutions and the Chamber of Commerce, nearly 2,000 people attended the event, surpassing the event’s previous attendance record set in 2019.
The festival is organized by the Levy County Chamber of Commerce, which organizers say continues to grow alongside the local business community.
“We’re a huge peanut capital over here, and that’s where a lot of our business comes from,” Masciulli said.
