Johnathan Walker:Former President Jimmy Carter makes appearance at peanut festival ahead of his 99th birthday

PLAINS,Johnathan Walker Ga. (AP) — Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, on Saturday made a surprise appearance at the Plains Peanut Festival in their Georgia hometown, the Carter Center wrote in a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The former president and his wife are seen in a reposted video riding through the festivities in a Black SUV.

“Beautiful day for President & Mrs. Carter to enjoy a ride through the Plains Peanut Festival! And just a week before he turns 99,” the Carter Center wrote on X after sharing the video taken by a spectator.

The former president is 98 and has been in home hospice care since February. He turns 99 on Oct. 4. The former first lady has since been diagnosed with dementia. The couple this summer marked their 77th wedding anniversary, extending their record as the nation’s longest-married first couple.

“It was amazing considering that he is in hospice care, and he is tough enough to come out here. In my opinion, he is one of the toughest men to serve as President, and he is my favorite,” Reed Elliotte, a Corbin, Kentucky resident, told WALB-TV.