State Farmers Market holding boiled peanut party

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — People can go nuts all day long for South Carolina’s official state snack.

The South Carolina Peanut Board and the state Department of Agriculture are hosting Boiled Peanut Day on Saturday. The celebration at the State Farmers Market in West Columbia is part of the 5th anniversary of the Certified South Carolina Grown Summer Celebrations.

There’s a boiled peanut giveaway from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Brad Boozer of the South Carolina Peanut Board says about 95,000 acres of peanuts were planted in the state this year. Boozer says that number could reach 120,000 acres within five years.

Federal officials say South Carolina ranks fifth in the nation for peanut production.