Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn attended the Plains Peanut Festival in Plains, Georgia, on Saturday, the Carter Center said in a social media post.
“Great day, President.” Join Mrs. Carter for some Plains Peanut Festival fun! He is one week away from his 99th birthday. We bet peanut butter ice cream is on the lunch menu! #JimmyCarter99,” The Carter Center said in a tweet Share a video of the Carters driving an SUV down a street packed with festival goers.
Erikka Bettis Williams, who shot the video, said she had no idea the Carters would be there.
“Totally surprising! The crowd was a little slow to react at first because they didn’t realize they were there. It was such a huge surprise and yes, we sang ‘Happy Birthday’!” she told CNN.
Jimmy Carter will turn 99 on October 1 and entered hospice care in February. The former president beat brain cancer in 2015 but faced a series of health scares in 2019 and underwent surgery to remove pressure from his brain.
In an interview with People magazine published last month, the Carters’ grandson said: “It’s clear that we’ve entered the final chapter.”
Josh Carter told PEOPLE that family members and caregivers were the only visitors to Carters Plains home recently.
Josh Carter said his grandmother, Rosalynn Carter, who has dementia, knew about her diagnosis. “For the most part, she still knows who we are — we’re a family,” he said.
Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter have been married for 77 years, making them the longest-married presidential couple.
Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia and grew up in the nearby archery community. The Democrat was a peanut farmer and Navy lieutenant before entering politics, serving one term as Georgia governor and serving as president from 1977 to 1981.
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