To paraphrase a song called "Peaches" by the band The Presidents of the United States of America:

Goin' to the country,

Gonna eat a lot of peaches

I'm goin' to the country,

I'm gonna eat me a lot of peaches

Middle Octorara Presbyterian Church is offering everyone the opportunity to do just that during its sixth annual Peach Fest.

Peach Fest will be held Saturday, Aug. 15, at 4 p.m. at the church, 1199 Valley Road, Quarryville.

The event is free; donations will be accepted. Proceeds will benefit the church's many charitable projects.

Although the main attraction will be (you guessed it) peach-themed desserts, a light meal will also be served, featuring barbecue, hot dogs, baked beans, macaroni salad, chips, pickles, and olives.

Shirley Miller, a member of the Middle Octorara Presbyterian Women (MOPW), the group that puts on Peach Fest, will be responsible for making many of the desserts. Miller and MOPW are planning to have peach crisp, peach pies, a pretzel dessert covered with peach preserves, cupcakes, ice cream, peach milkshakes, and peach bread.

"I love it," said Miller. "People should come to socialize with other people, and it's just an evening out that should be enjoyable and there's no cost. You can give a donation if you want to, but it's a free meal."

Peach Fest has grown exponentially. Last year, there were 150 attendees with a line stretching into the parking lot, and food supplies were limited after an hour. "We're going to have a lot more food this year, and hopefully they'll give us another try," said Miller.

Miller borrowed the idea for Peach Fest from a local church that annually holds a Strawberry Fest. "It's always been well attended," she noted. "I said, 'Why don't we do peaches? I think that would be neat.' And it worked, but last year it worked too well."

Boni Henry, who is also a member of the MOPW, stated that money generated is used to help the church support a variety of causes, including the Scouts, a mission in Peru, backpacks for the local food bank, and basket donations to benefit auctions.

She promises visitors will enjoy the experience. "The food's really good," said Henry. "The peach milkshakes are back by popular demand. It's just a good time to get together."