The holidays bring families together, and this was especially true with the Buzzell Family. They lived in Romeo for nearly 200 years, and relatives gathered on Labor Day Weekend for the Romeo Peach Festival. Since the Romeo Community Archives conducts oral histories about the cherished event all year round, we were able to interview two members of the Buzzell clan, Scott and his daughter Courtney, about their experiences.
We recently added their interview to the digital Romeo Peach Festival Oral History Collection. They have gone to the Peach Festival many times. In our conversation, Courtney and Scott shared plenty of fond memories, especially of their family's tradition.
Scott recalled that the family home on Turner Street was a hot spot for the Peach Festival. Depending on the route, it was either where the parades began or ended. It was a great viewing spot regardless. More importantly, up to 40 family members came Labor Day Weekend. They would often have barbeque, sloppy joes, peach pies, and ice cream. Courtney even joked that the event was bigger than Christmas.
Geri Buzzell (nee Anderson) - Scott's mother and Courtney's grandmother - was the center of the family festivities that weekend. Scott fondly remembered that she baked her signature peach pies during that time. Courtney recalled that her grandmother insisted on having those with ice cream. Geri made so many pies that she brought 6-8 of them to the First Congregational Church. The Buzzells were active members of that church.
In addition, Geri participated in the Floral Parade in 1947. She worked for the Romeo Savings Bank (now the PNC Bank) at that time and was on the float that year. A picture of her on that float is in The Romeo Peach Festival book by David McLaughlin. She's the one in the red spaghetti straps sitting down.
On top of that, Geri was dating a man named Howard Buzzell. He drove the float that was she was on. They married in 1948 and had four children, including Scott.
Geri wasn't the only Buzzell member who was in the Floral Parade. Several people, including Scott, one of his sisters, Courtney, and her siblings, were in the marching band at Romeo High School. Courtney recalled that her grandmother would take in any "band friend strays" who didn't live in town nor had a place to go because the Buzzells had so much food.
Both interviewees admitted that their favorite parts of the Peach Festival were the marching bands. Courtney explained that the floats - with the exception of the Peach Queen one - couldn't be held to the standard of the marching bands. As the hometown band, they were always first. Moreover, there was something special about playing the fight song at a hometown parade. Courtney added that in her last year of marching band, they played both the fight song and "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses. Scott jokingly complained that when his kids were in the band, they never played when they marched by him.
Sadly, the Buzzell Labor Day parties ended when Geri passed away in 2016. She died a week after the Peach Festival that year. Courtney remembered eating mini peach pies and talking to Geri for hours before making her hang out with her friends. Scott also thought about the little things while with his mom at the Peach Festival. As a kid, if he was in the car with her, he would have her drive by the carnival. At one point, she even told him that there was an orchard right up to the corner of Prospect and Gates Streets, kitty corner to where the Romeo Motel is at today. It was gone by the time Scott was growing up.
Even though the Buzzell family tradition of meeting up at the Romeo Peach Festival is no more, Courtney has found a way to still connect to her heritage. She has started hosting Labor Day parties in her house in Vermont in case she's not able to go home. She and her wife prepare the food that made the tradition special to begin with. And if Coutney has any doubts of going to the Peach Festival because of how sad it would be without her grandmother, she would remember her saying, "That's stupid. Go celebrate."
Scott, Courtney, and I had a great time talking about the Romeo Peach Festival. The Romeo Community Archives looks forward to talking to more people about their memories of the Peach Festival and what it means to them at next year's festivities.
It doesn't matter if you're young or old. We want to hear all of the stories about the festival.
All interviews will be apart of the digital Romeo Peach Festival Oral History Collection. Each will contain the audio and transcript.
To check out the Scott and Courtney Buzzell interview, you can go to the Romeo Community Archives online catalog. More will be uploaded in the near future.
If you want to participate in the Romeo Peach Festival Oral History Collection, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890. We can also conduct interivews outside of Romeo Peach Festival weekend if you feel more comfortable that way.
Images and sources courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives; Romeo Peach Festival Oral History Collection, 2025 and The Romeo Peach Festival (Images of America) by David McLaughlin, p.57
