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Shelby Concrete bought the top basket of peaches in the 2023 Peach Auction for $20,000. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)

Ellison Memorial Funeral Home bought the third-place basket of peaches from Penton Farms for $8,500. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)

Peach Auction Chairman Glenn McGriff has been a part of the auction for over 40 years. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)

Steve Wheat bought the fourth-place peach basket from C&J Farms for $10,000. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)

The Chilton County Farmers Federation bought the fifth-place peach basket from Knight’s Farm for $4,000. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)

Tommy Glasscock was the auctioneer again in 2023. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)

McKinnon Automotive purchased the second-place basket from JJ’s Produce for $11,000. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)

By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

After setting an all-time record of $50,000 in last year’s peach auction, the Clanton Lions Club blew that number out of the water with the 2023 edition of the auction. As a part of the 76th Chilton County Peach Festival, the peach auction hosted by the Clanton Lions Club raised $84,400 on June 24.

“I cannot say enough about the people of Chilton County,” Peach Auction Chairman Glenn McGriff said. “I was born and raised here, I love this county and this county shows up when they need to, and they showed up today. They made a big contribution to their community.”

33 baskets of peaches were up for bid at the auction and judging occurred prior to the auction.

The first-place basket was from Andrea Williams and M&M Farms, and the basket got the auction started with Shelby Concrete purchasing it for $20,000. Second place was from Randy and Deborah Jones of JJ’s Produce that was purchased by McKinnon Automotive for $11,00. Third place was from Scott Penton with Penton Farms that was purchased by Ellison Memorial Funeral Home for $8,500. Fourth place was from Jeremiah and Jessa Jones with C&J Farms that was purchased by Steve Wheat for $10,000. Fifth place was from Slate Knight and Knight’s Farms that was purchased by the Chilton County Farmers Federation for $4,000.

“We could not do it without the bidders, so it is a community effort,” McGriff said. “The Clanton Lions Club really appreciates it, and this money is going to go right back into the community to sponsor things and give back.”

The Clanton Lions Club will contribute the money raised from the peach auction to their Alabama Lions Sight program, Clanton youth baseball programs, Special Olympics, autism awareness in Chilton County, local FFA programs, Chilton County foster programs and other organizations in the county.

McGriff thanked auctioneer Tommy Glasscock for running the auction for another year, and McGriff himself enjoyed another year as chairman of the peach auction.

“I fell in love with this auction over 40 years ago,” McGriff said. “These are good, hard-working people with hard-working families making a living off the land. I just love it because this is what America is about. These people are America, and they are the backbone to our country.”

The newly crowned peach queens were in attendance and residents filled Senior Connection in Clanton to see how much money the peaches would bring in.

Top 5 Peach Baskets:

First place — July Prince from M&M Farms sold to Shelby Concrete for $20,000

Second place — Fire Prince from JJ’s Produce sold to McKinnon Automotive for $11,000

Third place — July Prince from Penton Farms sold to Ellison Memorial Funeral Home for $8,500

Fourth place — PF-9 from C&J Farms sold to Steve Wheat for $10,000

Fifth place — July Prince from Knight’s Farm sold to the Chilton County Farmers Federation for $4,000

Other Baskets Auctioned Off:

July Prince from Henry and Suzanne Williams sold to the Chilton County Farmers Federation for $2,000.

July Prince from the Chilton County Research and Extension Center sold to Deidra Gadberry State Farm for $2,000.

July Price from the Harrison Fruit Farms sold to Larry Cobb Coca-Cola for $1,500

White County from Knight’s Farm sold to Clanton Tractor & Equipment for $2,700

July Prince from Burnette Farms sold to Chilton Contractors for $1,900

A basket from Mountain View Orchards sold to River Bank & Trust for $1,600

A basket from Penton Farm sold to Sun South LLC for $1,000

A basket from Burnette Farms sold to SheShac Ceramics for $1,000

A basket from Burnette Farms sold to Sen. April Weaver for $1,000

A basket from C&J Farms sold to Rep. Van Smith for $1,000

A basket from Burnette Farms sold to Peach Outdoors for $900

A basket from Knight’s Farm sold to Deidra Gadberry State Farm for $1,100

A basket from C&J Farms sold to Martin Funeral Home Inc. for $1,100

A basket from Henry and Suzanne Williams sold to Champ Concrete for $1,100

A basket from M&M Farms sold to Payton Equipment Group for $1,000

A basket from Jerry Harrison sold to C&C Trophy & Sign Inc. for $900

A basket from M&M Farms sold to MorLyn’s Fine Jewelry for $900

A basket from JJ’s Produce sold to the Chilton County Republican Party for $1,000

A basket from Henry and Suzanne Williams sold to Dee Dee Calhoun for $700

Two baskets from Mountain View Orchards sold to Dee Dee Calhoon for $800 and $700

A basket from Knights Farm sold to Cool Change Body Sculpting and Boutique for $600

A basket from Sugar Hill U-Pick Farms sold to The Clanton Advertiser for $500

A basket from Harrison Fruit Farms sold to The First Bank of Alabama for $1,000

A basket from Patterson Farms sold to Clanton Tractor & Equipment for $600

A basket from Mountain View Orchards sold to State Wide Trucking for $700

A basket from Henry and Suzanne Williams sold to Hal Taylor for $600

A basket from Burnette Farms sold to Garrison Farm & Home Center for $1,100

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