The North Hudson Pepper Fest has grown into a weekend-long celebration filled with food, music, a parade, and much more. But it started with humble roots: residents of North Hudson wanted to find a way to raise money to build a new school. That was 70 years ago in 1954, and the philanthropic mindset of Pepper Fest still exists today, with the nonprofit giving back money to the local community. Other parts of the festival has changed as the organizers continue to add new ideas to the event.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, we're joined by Tim Zais, the longtime president of Pepper Fest, to talk all about the event's history, its evolution, and its future. Tim shares his earliest memories of attending Pepper Fest, discusses the exciting recent developments with the festival's location, and shares what people can expect to see at this year's event, which runs August 16-18.

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