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7th ANNUAL SAHUARITA PECAN FESTIVAL GEARING UP

Pecan Festival 2014SAHUARITA, Ariz. – Preparations are well under way for the 7th Annual Sahuarita Pecan Festival, an old-fashioned country fair with activities for all ages. Hosted by The Green Valley Pecan Company, it will take place on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Green Valley Pecan Company, 1625 E. Sahuarita Road, Sahuarita. Admission to the Festival will be free.

“We are excited to open the farm for our guests to learn about agriculture and the heritage of the Santa Cruz River Valley. The festival is now a tradition in southern Arizona, with more than 20,000 people attending this one-day event,” said Jennifer Zubieta, Director of Community Relations and Events.

The day’s festivities will kick off with the Pecan Classic Nut Run/Walk at 8 a.m. To register, go to taggrun.com. Register by Oct. 31, 2015 to receive your commemorative T-shirt.

This year’s festival attractions include a KID’s Zone, sponsored by the Sahuarita Sun. The KID’s Zone will include bounce houses, carnival games, bungee jumping and pony rides and our popular Arabian Horse demonstrations presented by the Southern Arizona Arabian Horse Association (SAAHA).

As in years past, there will be arts and crafts vendors in the marketplace to start your holiday shopping. Also, food vendors from throughout Southern Arizona will be preparing great barbeque and other local fare along with sweets and treats.

Pecan Festival 2014Our heritage area will feature the always-popular tractor pull contests, antique tractor displays, and the heritage tent where guests can learn about traditional basket weaving, and agriculture and history of the Santa Cruz River Valley. Horse-drawn wagon rides into the orchard for pecan harvest demonstrations will be available for either a food or monetary donation to the Green Valley-Sahuarita Community Food Bank.

Now in its third year, the Sahuarita Pecan Pie Contest is sponsored by Mama’s Hawaiian Barbeque. The entry fee is $10 and entrants will receive a 1 lb bag of pecan halves for baking. Registration forms can be found at either the Mama’s Hawaiian Barbeque location in Sahuarita or at www.sahuaritapecanfestival.com.

Festival attendees can take advantage of the free shuttle service from three locations around Sahuarita: Walden Grove High School, Quail Creek Grill parking lot, and Sahuarita Unified School District parking lot.

Also, parking (general and disabled) will be available immediately south of the festival grounds for $5.00 per car; a portion of the proceeds going to local community organizations volunteering at the Sahuarita Pecan Festival.

Most of the festival grounds and parking areas are not paved, so please take care and be aware of the grounds when getting around.

Pecan Festival 2014Sahuarita Pecan Festival is Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Green Valley Pecan Company, 1625 E. Sahuarita Road, Sahuarita, AZ.  The Sahuarita Pecan Festival averages nearly 20,000 attendees each year. Over the past six years, the Festival has raised more than $20,000 and 6,000 pounds of food for local charities.

Local organizations that will benefit from Sahuarita Pecan Festival 2015 are: Sahuarita Educational Enrichment Foundation, Green Valley Sahuarita Community Food Bank, Sahuarita Unified School District, Sahuarita Explorers, Optimist Club of Green Valley and Valle Verde Rotary. Sponsorships and vendor participation and other activities enable the Sahuarita Pecan Festival to financially support the work of these local groups.

For the latest updates, please visit the official Festival website at

Web:                www.SahuaritaPecanFestival.com

Facebook:        www.Facebook.com/sahuaritapecanfestival.com

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Events News Sponsor

2014 Sahuarita Pecan Festival Round Up by KGUN9

Pecan Festival 2014The 2014 Sahuarita Pecan Festival had a tremendous turnout, beautiful weather and great vendors showcasing the talents in our community. The 7th Annual Sahuarita Pecan Festival is set for Saturday, November 14, 2015, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and will feature the popular Sahuarita Pecan Classic and Nut Run. With delicious foods from across the Santa Cruz River Valley and lots of great activities, it’s an event for the whole family.

We’ve gathered videos, photos and articles that KGUN9, our media sponsor produced for 2014.

The Morning Blend
Sahuarita Pecan Festival – November 8 event | October 31, 2014

2014 Sahuarita Pecan Festival
By Ina Ronquillo | Nov 5, 2014

Live Morning Checkin with Erin
Chief Meteorologist Erin Christiansen’s KGUN 9 Forecast | November 7, 2014

November 8, 10pm Newscast
Thousands attend annual Sahuarita Pecan Festival
By Rikki Mitchell | Nov 8, 2014

Photo Gallery
The Annual Sahuarita Pecan Festival | November 10, 2014

Sahuarita Pecan Festival a record-breaking success
By Ina Ronquillo |  Nov 17, 2014

Photo Gallery
The Annual Sahuarita Pecan Festival | November 17, 2014

 

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Food Marketplace Partner Pecan Classic Sponsor

Festival Numbers in a Nutshell

November was such a busy month! After checking numbers from all departments, we have the totals from the 2014 Sahuarita Pecan Festival.

The Festival had a continual flow of visitors all day long, averaging between 20,000 and 22,000 guests. We were able to raise over $13,000 for local community groups and over 600 pounds of food for the Green Valley-Sahuarita Food Bank.

The Pecan Classic and Nut Run also broke past records of participants, boasting a total of 275 runners. 15k winners were 1) Jose Rodriguez, 2) Lukas Kramer and 3) Ronald Schell. The 5k results were 1) Ureil Arreola, 2) Tyler Stewart and 3) James Greene.

Becky Roberts took home 1st [Recipe] and 2nd Place for the Pecan Pie Contest.  3rd place went to Rebecca White.

There was a total of 171,360 pecans in the large bin that sat outside the Green Valley Operations Tent. Congratulations to Richard Hog for the closest guess.

A great day of family-fun was had by all who attended. Make sure to mark your calendars for next year’s festival scheduled for Saturday, November 14, 2015. See you there!

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Agricultural Food News

Pecan Farm in the News

Green-Valley-Pecan-AM12Recently, Laurie Merrill from the Arizona Republic wrote an article about Green Valley Pecan Co. The home to the nuttiest festival in Arizona! The article provides some interesting facts about what has been going on the in the nut world.

Pecan farm in southern Ariz. enjoying high nut prices

Everybody’s going nuts these days. In a good way. Shoppers around the world are embracing their health benefits. Demand is growing, especially in a more prosperous China.

And as the holiday season approaches, many of us will indulge in a homemade pecan pie.

In Arizona, growers of both pecans and pistachios are benefiting as prices of the tree nuts soar.

In the past 10 years, pecan prices have swelled from $3 a pound to $5.40. Pistachio prices have doubled, to $5.50 a pound from $2.25.

The state is home to the Green Valley Pecan Co. in Sahuarita, one of the largest pecan farms in the world. Arizona growers seeking to cash in have recently planted new orchards in Cochise County.

Arizona ranks as the fourth-largest pecan-producing state in the nation and is on track to double production to about 40 million pounds in 2025.

Land values, drought and economic downturns for decades reduced the number of pecan farms in Arizona from several dozen to a handful. But the Green Valley Pecan Co. has been farmed with steady success by the same family for three generations. [Read full article]

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Food

And the 2014 Pecan Pie Contest Results are…

Green Valley Pecan - Photo by Dan Lamont1st Place – Becky Roberts [1st Place Recipe]

2nd Place – Becky Roberts

3rd Place – Rebecca White

We had so many good looking pies, we had pie security in the VIP tent. Thank you to all the participants in this year’s Festival Pie Contest. Winners, enjoy your gift cards!

The 2014 Pecan Pie Contest was sponsored by Mama’s Hawaiian Barbecue! Mama’s menu features traditional Hawaiian Plate Lunches, Homemade desserts and a daily special with island flair. Mama’s serves the full menu seven days a week. Visit the Sahuarita location or the 3 others around Tucson.

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Agricultural Food Marketplace News Sponsor

Sahuarita Pecan Festival on KGUN9

Thanks to KGUN9 for this great segment about the 2014 Sahuarita Pecan Festival. Rikki Mitchell describes what goes on at the nuttiest festival in Arizona. Full transcript and video can be viewed at KGUN9

Thousands attend annual Sahuarita Pecan Festival

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) – If anyone knows pecans, it’s the Walden’s.

“We’re a nutty kind of family,” said Deborah Walden Ralls, who’s the granddaughter of Keith Walden, the man who founded Farmers Investment Co. back in 1948.

And her parents, Dick and Nan Walden currently run FICO, the parent company of the Green Valley Pecan Company. 

“We have a lot of second and third generation employees and we treat them and feel about them like they are our family,” said Nan Walden. “And both of our kids Debbie and Rich are also working in the business and our grandsons, who are 7 and 10 are going to help out this summer, so we’re breaking them in too.”

The Waldens invited the community into their company on Saturday for the sixth annual Sahuarita Pecan Festival.

“Being a food and agriculture production company, we can’t allow people to come into our plant,” said Deborah Walden Ralls. “So this is a way for us to give demonstrations, show people what we do and how we do it.” [Read full transcript]

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Events News Pecan Classic

6th Annual Sahuarita Pecan Festival a Record-Breaking Hit

6th Annual Sahuarita Pecan Festival a Record-Breaking Hit

SAHUARITA, Ariz. – The 6th Annual Sahuarita Pecan Festival last Saturday raised more funds for local non-profits than ever before. Blowing past the records of previous years, the 2014 Festival raised over $13,000 benefitting our community partners. The Pecan Classic and Nut Run also broke past records of participants, boasting a total of 275 runners.

“This has been our most successful Festival yet. A big thank you to our incredible vendors and sponsors who made Saturday possible,” said Jennifer Zubieta, Director of Community Relations and Events. “And special thanks to our outstanding volunteers who went above and beyond to make sure this event ran seamlessly. We couldn’t have done it without you!”

The Festival collected over 600 pounds of food for the Community Food Bank and averaged between 20,000 and 22,000 guests. Returning this year was Southern Arizona Arabian Horse Association (SAAHA) with parades and demonstrations. As always, Power from the Past Tractor Pull was especially popular. Activities also drawing big crowds included the hayride run by the Green Valley-Sahuarita Community Food Bank, and our free KID’s Area sponsored by Sahuarita Sun.

A great day of family-fun was had by all who attended. Make sure to mark your calendars for next year’s festival scheduled for Saturday, November 14, 2015. See you there!

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Events Food Marketplace News Partner Pecan Classic

Schedules and Maps For Today

The big day is here! Make your way over to the Green Valley Pecan Company, 1625 E Sahuarita Road, Sahuarita, AZ 85629 for the nuttiest festival in Arizona. 9am-5pm. Bring a hat, sunscreen and water. It looks to be clear blue skies all day.

Green-Valley-Pecan-AM12Take advantage of our FREE Shuttle from 3 locations, the Sahuarita School District, Quail Creek Grill and Walden Grove High School parking lots. The shuttles start loading at 8:30am.

Bring your non-perishable food items or pay $3.00 per person to enjoy the horse drawn hay wagon into the orchard. Hayride leaves from Heritage Area.

Below is the schedule for the day. Make sure you pick up a 2014 Sahuarita Pecan Festival Program at one of the information booths. See you around!

Main Stage [map]
9-10:00 am – Mariachi Cielo de Mexico
10-11:00 am – Sahara with Tony Corrales Band
11:00 am – Welcoming Ceremony
11:30 am – Tony Corrales Band
2:00 pm – Pecan Cracking Contest & Pecan Pie Winner Announcement

Heritage Area [map]
9:00 am – 5:00 pm – Heritage Tent – Come see native food crops displayed, historical photos and watch how Native American basket weaving is staying alive!
9:30 am – 4:00 pm – Community Food Bank Harvest Demonstration in the Orchard – Bring your non-perishable food items or pay $3.00 per person to enjoy the horse drawn hay wagon into the orchard to see how we harvest pecans.
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Power from the Past Tractor Pull

Children’s Area 9:00 am to 5:00 pm [map]
Our children’s area is completely FREE! Come bounce on the gravity jump, bounce houses, take pictures with your friends and see what the Walden Grove High School Robotics team is up to.

Horse Demonstration Area
9:30 am – Horse Parade
10:30 am – Insiders guide to selecting the right horse – Lee Boles
12:00 pm – Horse Shoeing – Robert Burkett
12:30 pm – Cutting Demo
1:00 pm – Basic horse handling, grooming & tack – Kris Searle
2:00 pm – Basic veterinary care & when to call a vet  – Mary Campbell
3:00 pm – Distance Riding Demo
3:30 pm – New Horse Owner Equine Nutrition  – Patti Woodbury – Kuvik
4:00pm – Horse Parade

The Sixth Annual Pecan Classic
8:00 am – 15k & 5k Run
10:00 am – Nut Run – Family Fun Run/Walk through the orchard

 

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Events News Pecan Store

Pecan Cracking Contest Tomorrow

One of the Sahuarita Pecan Festival’s family friendly activities will be the Pecan Cracking Contest. It will be held under the main tent area throughout the day. Winners will be announced at 2:00 pm.

Groups of contestants will sit down with a kit of pecans and a cracker. Contestants have 5 minutes to crack as many pecans as they can and present to the judges the complete halves.  *HINT* A complete half is considered 7/8 or greater.

Take a look behind the scenes of Green Valley Pecan Company. From our farm to your table.

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Agricultural Crafts Events

One of the Many Unique Features of the Sahuarita Pecan Festival is the Heritage Area

Don’t pass this up! The Heritage area will showcase Power from the Past, tractor pull contests, antique tractor displays, and the heritage tent where guest can learn about traditional basket weaving, and agriculture and history of the Santa Cruz River Valley. Horse-drawn wagon rides into the orchard for pecan harvest demonstrations will be available for either a food or monetary donation to the Green Valley-Sahuarita Community Food Bank.

FICO/Green Valley Pecan Company – See all the equipment the farm uses to harvest pecans.
www.greenvalleypecan.com

Power from the Past

Power from the Past – Antique tractor and engine club. Come see how to make rope and old fashion ice cream! Tractor pull starts at 12pm.

Rancho Soñado – Rancho Soñado offers performance Arabians, Half-Arabians for sale and quality boarding facilities for all breeds in Amado, Arizona.
www.ranchosonado.com

Saraficio O’Odham Baskets – O’odham baskets of all sizes & shapes.
520-240-2420

Tohono O’odham Nation Traditional Tortillas – Fresh traditional cowboy tortillas made with whole wheat flour for sample tasting.

Heritage Area Schedule 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Tohono O'odham Nation Basket Weavers9:00 am – 5:00 pm – Heritage Tent – Come see native food crops displayed, historical photos and watch how Native American basket weaving is staying alive!
9:30 am – 4:00 pm – Community Food Bank Harvest Demonstration in the Orchard – Bring your non-perishable food items or pay $3.00 per person to enjoy the horse drawn hay wagon into the orchard to see how we harvest pecans.
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Power from the Past Tractor Pull