Peach desserts, barbecue and beach music will be on the menu for this weekend’s South Carolina Peach Festival.

Activities begin with a dessert contest and kickoff party Thursday morning outside the Chamber of Commerce. Local cooks are invited to bring their tastiest peach desserts by 9 a.m. for the festival’s annual dessert contest. The Chamber has worked with Hames Music to schedule live music for the event.

A total of 25 music and dance acts will take the stage Thursday at 7:30 p.m. for the annual New Talent Night, sponsored by the Blacksburg Rotary Club. This year’s event will be held in Fullerton Auditorium on the Limestone College campus.

“This is an evening for local and regional performers to showcase their talent,” Blacksburg Rotary Club member Ed Elliott said. “We’ve had a great response this year. I am always amazed at the good talent on display at the event.”

Many festival events will be held this weekend.

Highlights include a 2-day barbecue competition and a Peach Beach concert Saturday at 6 p.m. at Lake Whelchel featuring the Fantastic Shakers and Gaffney native Kenneth Wright.

Tickets for the Peach Beach concert are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. Children under the age of 12 will be admitted free. There will be no charge for parking at the concert.

More than 40 teams are expected to participate in the barbecue competition Friday and Saturday at the Big Mill site off Railroad Avenue. Event organizer Dennis Stroupe said an application is pending with Gov. Mark Sanford’s office to have the festival event named a state championship barbecue contest.

A Taster’s Choice event will give people a chance to sample ribs and chicken cooked by teams participating in the barbecue competition, Stroupe said. The public can purchase tickets for $5 to sample the barbecue starting at 11 a.m. on the Big Mill site.

“We are really excited about it. We invite people to come out Friday evening and visit with some of the barbecue cooking teams,” Stroupe said. “There is a lot going on at the Peach Festival this weekend. We hope to have a good turnout and have people come out to enjoy this family event.”

The festival concludes Saturday with a road race at 7:30 a.m. at Limestone College followed by a parade, car show, the barbecue competition and Daddy Joe’s Rockin’ Blues & BBQ music concert.

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at Rutledge Avenue and extend through downtown Gaffney before disbanding at Railroad Avenue. There is no charge for nonprofit organizations to participate in the event.

A schedule of events, entry forms and other information are available on the festival’s Web site at: www.scpeachfestival.org.