Next Year’s Festival Scheduled for Nov. 9, 2019
SAHUARITA, Ariz. – On Saturday, November 10, 2018, Green Valley Pecan Company hosted the 10th Annual Sahuarita Pecan Festival at its pecan farm. Families and friends celebrated the Festival’s 10th anniversary with horse-drawn wagon rides, pecan cracking contests, tractor pull contests, a pecan pie contest, and other activities. This year’s Festival—with the highest attendance to date—was dedicated to farmers and their essential work to feed communities worldwide.
The Sahuarita Pecan Festival kicked off in the morning with the 10th Annual Pecan Classic and Family Fun Run—hosted by Tagg Running Events—that led 290 runners and walkers through the pecan orchard. The top male finisher in the 3.3-mile was 47-year-old Daryll Brosanders from Tucson with a time of 20:52.9; the top female finisher was 34-year-old Lauren Reasoner from Sahuarita with a time of 22:46.4.
Fourteen pies were entered in the Festival’s Pecan Pie Contest, hosted by Mama’s Hawaiian Bar-B-Cue. The 2018 winner was Meghan Predenkoski of Tucson. In second place was Hannah Gardner of Rio Rico and in third place was Miroslava Peterson of Sahuarita. They all used Green Valley Pecans as the main ingredient in their pies. Participants were judged by Green Valley News and Sahuarita Sun editor Dan Shearer, Arizona Illustrated host Tom McNamara, Green Valley-Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce President Joseph Erceg, Continental Elementary School District Superintendent Roxana Rico, retired actor Michael Caprio who performed in well-known productions such as “Amistad” and “The Sopranos,” and a randomly selected member of the audience.
As a major annual event in the Sahuarita and Green Valley communities, the Sahuarita Pecan Festival helps support local volunteer groups and non-profits. This year, $18,000 was raised, a portion of which will be distributed to local community groups within the coming weeks, including: Valle Verde Rotary/Interact, Boy Scouts of America Troop 301, Walden Student Council, Walden Grad Night/Boosters, Walden Grove Wolfpack Football, SEEF, Sahuarita Food Bank and Community Resource Center, Sahuarita Police Explorers, Southern Arizona Project Healing Waters, Walden Grove Law & Public Safety, Tucson Synchro, Walden Grove Camera Club, Green Valley – Amado Community Food Bank, Sahuarita 4H Club, SUSD Construction Club, Elks, United Prospect Dancers, AZ Rangers, and The First Tee of Tucson. In total, the Festival has raised more than $100,000 for the community over the past 10 years.
“This year’s Sahuarita Pecan Festival marked 10 years of Green Valley Pecan Company giving back to the community. We were able to showcase the contributions of farmers and the farming industry, all while providing a family-friendly event that helps raise funds for local non-profits and service groups. We’ll be back next year on Nov. 9 for the 11th Annual Sahuarita Pecan Festival!” said Paula Beemer, Sahuarita Pecan Festival Coordinator.
The Sahuarita Pecan Festival is held at the Green Valley Pecan Company located at 1625 E. Sahuarita Road in Sahuarita, AZ. The inaugural event was in 2009; over the past 10 years, the Festival has raised more than $100,000 for local charities. For the more details, please visit the official Festival website at www.SahuaritaPecanFestival.com. Additional information can also be found on Facebook (/SahuaritaPecanFestival) and Twitter (@PecanFestival).