Freshly picked Chilton County peaches were the stars of Durbin Farms Market’s annual peach season kick-off May 25.

Locals and out-of-towners alike strolled through the aisles Friday morning, filling their carts with baskets of peaches—the area’s most profitable crop—and other produce.

Jim and Mary Maher of Maysville, Ky., stopped by Durbin’s for the first time last Saturday on their way to Florida, and they stopped again during the peach kick-off to buy more fruits and vegetables.

“We’re taking things home to the family,” Mary Maher said. “We don’t have anything like this at home. Everything we’ve bought, even in the restaurant, has been wonderful.”

Danny and Judy Jones, owners of Durbin Farms Market, started the kick-off event about five years ago.

“It’s amazing to me nobody did it before I started,” Danny Jones said. “It’s a good turnout.”

Jones said certain peach varieties ripened a bit earlier than normal this year because of a shorter winter.

“Overall, it’s working out to (be) a positive,” he said. “They’re here; let’s go. We gotta keep growing.”

The Chilton County Chamber of Commerce also held a ribbon cutting for Durbin’s newest addition, LJ’s Boutique, on May 25.