If Dennis Fowler cut his right arm, he would bleed peaches, Merv Bishop said.
"That's how dedicated he is," added Bishop, chairman of the 2006 S.C. Peach Festival -- a three-weekend event that opened Friday.
Fowler, the Peach Festival's production chairman, is a 15-year veteran board member. And in that time, he's hung out with some big-name celebrities while helping bring performances to Gaffney.
Fowler signed country singer Garth Brooks for a 1990 appearance before his hit, "The Dance," exploded on the charts.
"That deal came from a handshake in the lobby of a Nashville hotel," Fowler said.
Under that agreement, Brooks would appear at the Peach Festival for $5,000, but six months later at the time of the show, Brooks' rate was $50,000 per show.
"Garth still honored the original contract, though, because he was obligated," Fowler said.
Excited festival organizers billed Brooks as the opening act for country group Shenandoah, but Brooks' high-energy, captivating performance drained the audience before Shenandoah could take the stage, said former board member Johnny Leazer, who accompanied Fowler to sign entertainment.
Though it won't showcase a country act this year, the S.C. Peach Festival has earned a name in the music industry over the years.
Since 1978, the festival has featured 101 different country artists and 70 beach bands.
Festival officials often credit Jim Cudd, a former festival board member, with landing acts at the best price.
"We had already had the Oak Ridge Boys, George Strait and similar acts, and Jim had them listening to our offers," Leazer said.
The first time Leazer was asked to accompany other board members to Nashville to attract performers, Cudd told him they were going to concerts by George Jones, John Schneider and Conway Twitty.
"I said, 'Who's George Jones?' And Jim told me -- quickly," Leazer said. "I went a long way from not knowing to helping book various acts."
The fans
Sometimes, watching stars interact with fans made for great memories.
David Parker, a former board member, recalls festival volunteers working to get a fan with special needs backstage for a pre-arranged visit with singer Lee Greenwood.
"(Larry McSwain, a board member) lifted the fan out of his wheelchair," Parker said. "We put the chair over the security fence, and (McSwain) put him back in the chair. The fan broke out in tears when he met his hero."
Another singer, Kathy Mattea, showed her appreciation by greeting fans after performing.
"A young man who was not too clean was in line to meet Mattea. When she asked him if he wanted an autograph, he responded, 'No. A kiss.' She gave him a kiss -- didn't hesitate," Parker said.
Fowler said many other performers showed respect for festival officials and the public, including Brooks.
"He came to Gaffney the night before he was to perform. I went to the motel to check on him and found him in the swimming pool with a rope. He was teaching three kids who were staying there, also, to lasso," he said.
Brooks also helped unload his truck at the former high school site for the outdoor show, and he played football with the volunteers on the adjacent field.
When the concert was over and Brooks needed to leave for his next gig in the Midwest, he would not let his crew crank the bus because revving up the motor would have affected Shenandoah's performance.
"Instead he told them to wait. He invited me into his bus, and we waited for the show to end. We talked. He autographed a cap for me that I still have -- under glass. Then when the festival show was over, he left," Fowler said.
The volunteers
Volunteers make the festival happen each year.
"It's a labor of love. If not, we couldn't afford to do this," Fowler said. "The volunteers are there in the storms, rain, heat. We've chased tents across fields. The workers give up 30 days out of their summer -- away from their families -- to do this."
Parker agreed, saying the camaraderie is impressive.
"There may be petty differences. But when they get to it, when it's necessary, they pick up and move to the right place," he said.
Bishop, this year's festival chairman, is serving his first stint in the role after six years on the board.
"It's difficult to be away from your family," he said. "I've been at the Orchard Park several nights until after 11 p.m. Missed out on helping my son -- 2-year-old Isaac -- get to bed. That was a first."
Officials have tried to cut the number of festival days, but weekends -- necessary for the popular truck and tractor pull and Peach Beach -- stretch the schedule.
"We tried a four-day festival a couple of years ago, but that didn't work at all," Bishop said.
Even with no country headliner this year, peaches and other entertainment options are plentiful.
Parker, who works as an agent with the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service, said the peach crop was hurt by cold weather early in the year.
"But the consumer probably won't notice," Parker said. "The producers are not shipping out as much as they would like. But if you're looking to buy fresh peaches -- in quality and quantity -- you'll find them in the Upstate."
Janet Spencer can be reached at 562-7222 or janet.spencer@shj.com.
