While it might not be a big money-maker, this year's South Carolina Peach Festival once again proved the words "fun" and "free" are definitely drawing cards.

Festival officials estimated 7,000 people attended a Family Fun Day event last weekend in downtown Gaffney. The free event included eight hours of music concerts, one-man band Johnny Wilson, magician Alan Smith, dancers from Southern Dance Academy and an evening concert by the Fabulous Kays.

Entry fees were charged for this Saturday's road race and a PBA Regional Tour bowling tournament held at Starmax. It cost nothing to watch the runners or professional bowlers.

The Peach Ball and the New Talent Night were the only festival events where people needed to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets were sold at the door for a June 26 dirt track race at Cherokee Speedway.

The South Carolina Peach Festival set out to offer free, low-cost entertainment for families this year, promotions chairperson Leigh Ann Turner said. The festival started June 20 and ended June 29 with a community worship service at First Baptist Church in Gaffney.

"Our goal was to have a lot of events that people could attend for free," Turner said. "We wanted to have events at the festival this year where families could have a good time and not have to spend a lot of money."

While this might not translate into festival profits, local businesses and hotels could see a positive economic impact from the South Carolina Peach Festival.

A road race Saturday morning drew more than 150 runners from seven states including Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. A PBA Regional Tour event at Starmax brought in 72 pro bowlers, including several from the sport's elite Denny PBA Tour.

Florida resident Jason Couch, winner of 15 PBA tour titles, was among the top names who competed in the bowling tournament. Other top bowlers included Johnny Horton and Ken Simard of Greenville.

About 300 people turned out for the Peach Ball Friday evening at Broad River Electric Co-Op Auditorium. The event featured dinner, a shag dancing competition and four hours of music from Too Much Sylvia.

"I thought the festival turned out well," Turner said. "It will be interesting to see how many people from out of town stayed in hotels and spent money here while attending events. This is where we will see the economic benefit from the festival."