The South Carolina Peach Festival is back on track following several days of uncertainty this week which prompted security concerns.

The festival starts Friday with a kickoff party at 8 a.m. at the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce office. Judging for the peach dessert contest begins at 10 a.m.

Blacksburg will host a street dance and a "Movies in the Park" event at 4 p.m. outside Iron City Place in Blacksburg. The festival has made arrangements to show the animated movie "Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa" on an outdoor projection screen.

The festival runs from July 10-19.

With a killer now dead, South Carolina Peach Festival board chairman Carlton Bridges said he is hopeful the two-week festival can help the community begin the healing process.

"We have a nice festival planned," Bridges said. "We hope people will come out and enjoy it."

Festival officials were in a holding pattern earlier this week while a large task force of law enforcement officers was involved in an intensive manhunt for a serial killer. The uncertainty ended when police confirmed the death Monday of Patrick Tracy Burris in Gaston County, N.C. Burris has been implicated by police in five shooting deaths in Cherokee County last week.

While Burris was still at large, Bridges said the festival had made plans to meet with law enforcement officers to discuss security concerns regarding the festival. While there was no talk of cancelling events, Bridges said the festival was prepared to make adjustments in the schedule as necessary.

"Everything is back on track," Bridges said. "We are selling advance tickets for The Catalinas performance at Peach Beach on Friday and Saturday. We've had our Peache Keen festival mascot outfit out on the Chamber of Commerce roof the past few days to welcome visitors to Gaffney."

More than 200 runners are expected to participate in a road race Saturday at 7:30 a.m. at Limestone College.

The Catalinas headline the Peach Beach concert Saturday at 7 p.m. at Broad River Electric Co- Op Auditorium off Highway 29.

No tickets will be sold at the door. Advance tickets to Peach Beach are $20.

The ticket price includes appetizers and drinks. A shag dance competition is planned as part of the entertainment.

Tickets can be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce office and on the festival's Web site at www.scpeachfestival.org. For more information, call (864) 489-5722.