Pear Lovers Flock To 41st Annual Pear Fair In Courtland

COURTLAND (CBS13) - Forget apples, and oranges, it's all about the Bartlett pear in Courtland.

"We love the Pear Fair. The people are so nice; it's a really great crowd," said a vendor.

People came from all over to celebrate the harvest of the Bartlett pear with the annual Pear Fair.

"This is our 41st year. It is a total volunteer-run organization," said fair spokesperson Nancy Miller.

Imagine pear everything from pear bread to pear tamales. There's live bands, a mechanical bull, arts and crafts, a parade and even a five or 10 mile run to kick it all off.

If you ask anyone what their favorite part of the pear fair is they all seem to agree on one thing: "Eating pear pies," said fair visitor Emily Stump

Pear pies are a staple that everyone looks forward to every year.

"We have 1,500 pear pies," said Miller.

Another pear fair tradition is the crowning of a new Pear Fair queen and princess. With so many young ladies growing up dreaming of being Pear Fair queen, how do they decide who gets to carry on as Pear Fair royalty?

"They go through an interview which focuses on your poise, personality and your general knowledge about the pears and pear industry in the delta," said 2012 Pear Fair Queen Virginia Doherty.

The Pear Fair queen is granted a $1,000 scholarship and becomes an advocate for their community. If you missed the Pear Fair in this year, make sure to mark it on your calendar for next year because you just have to try pear pizza.

"We put the mozzarella cheese blend and we put gorgonzola on top of that. And then we put down prosciutto – strips of prosciutto and sliced pears and it's topped with walnuts," said Vince Larson with Tuscun Sun Pizza Company.

Click here for more details on the Pear Fair.