Parade grand marshal Kenneth Wright (left) talks with fans.

Seeing large crowds line up along Limestone Street in anticipation of the annual S.C. Peach Festival was expected by longtime Cherokee County resident Jamie Keeter. He, like many other local residents, had the day marked on their calendars long in advance.

Many of the sights and sounds were the same; the beat of drums mixed with cheers from bystanders along the parade route, children running to collect tasty pieces of candy being given away, and the long line of floats slowly making its way through downtown Gaffney.

But for Keeter, this S.C. Peach Festival was different.

"No doubt, this was the best ever," Keeter said. "With everything that has gone on in this community in the past few weeks, it was definitely time for healing, and I believe something like the Peach Festival did its part to bring things back to normal around here."

A few weeks after serial killer Patrick Tracey Burris murdered five of their own, thousands crammed downtown Gaffney in a display of unity and strength, as well as the chance to salute those who risk their lives to ensure the safety of local residents.

"It was awesome to see such a great turnout," said S.C. Peach Festival Board Chairman Carlton Bridges. "The participation from our community was outstanding, making this year's festival what we wanted and more."

Law enforcement officials from Cherokee County and others from several jurisdictions in North Carolina and South Carolina spent nearly two weeks searching for Burris before he was shot in a showdown with Gaston County (N.C.) police officers.

Representatives from all the jurisdictions involved in taking Burris down were on hand for Saturday's parade, with crowds thanking them for their service to the community.

"Thank you! You're our heroes!," said a paradegoer as the line of squad cars made its way up Limestone Street.

For Mike and Terry Valentine of Dallas, N.C., however, they never intended to become heroes. Simply doing their duty in being good neighbors, an early morning phone call to authorities wound up being the one needed to end Burris' killing spree.

"My wife said if she'd had false teeth they would have fallen on the floor," Mike Valentine said. "We never thought our efforts would have helped bring down a serial killer."

The couple made their first trip to Gaffney on Saturday, invited as special guests to this year's S.C. Peach Festival parade. According to Mike Valentine, it almost felt like he was attending a family reunion.

"My goodness, I'm overwhelmed and at a loss for words," he said. "This definitely feels like a second home for us now. This feels like family."

While this year's festival was the first for the Valentines, it was not the first rodeo for Cherokee County native and country music artist Kenneth Wright, who served as the festival's grand marshal.

"I'm simply blown away to be received so warmly. It's apparent they didn't forget about me and I definitely didn't forget how great the people of this city and county are," Wright said. "I'm just a guy that writes songs. For people to accept it and actually appreciate it is a blessing."