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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

The Chilton County Chamber of Commerce held its annual peach-themed window painting contest to celebrate the upcoming 2023 Peach Festival, and the winners have been announced.

Classy Touch Boutique took home first place with their windows painted by Lauren Parker of Charlie Rae Designs. The Classy Touch staff gave Parker a few ideas of what they would like to see on the windows, and Parker did the rest in creating the painting.

“I just tried to create a design based on what her vision was,” Parker said. “I always want to make sure that whoever hires me for something that I am on the same page as them so that we can collaborate, and I make them happy and their visions come to life.”

Parker said the peaches in the design were a no-brainer, and the shopping bags were a nod to some of the items Classy Touch offers.

Ellianos Coffee Clanton placed second with a simple, yet resonating, design with a vine of peaches on the top and the saying “Life is just peachy keen” spaced across the windows.

Mulberry Hill Boutique in downtown Clanton earned third place with peaches hanging from branches across their storefront windows. The idea and design came from Amy Barnett of Outside the Lines Art Studio. Barnett worked at Todd’s Produce when she was a teenager, and she said she appreciated the businesses in Chilton County giving her a chance to paint her favorite fruit.

“I like to use different shades of color in the peaches to make them look as real as possible,” Barnett said. “My father and grandfather were both peach farmers and I grew up picking peaches with them. I have been around peaches my entire life it seems, and they are one of my favorite fruits, not only to eat, but also to paint.”

All of the businesses who participated in the peach window painting contest had their designs up throughout the 2023 Chilton County Peach Festival.