GREENFIELD — In his poem “Curly Locks,” James Whitcomb Riley tells the object of his affections that she won’t need to do a thing but “feast upon strawberries, sugar and cream.”
Those seeking a similar invite should look no further than the annual Strawberry Festival in downtown Greenfield, which has been drawing in scores of shortcake lovers since 1984.
The summer staple returns this year on June 11, when bowls of strawberry shortcake will be sold for $5 in advance or $6 at the door.
It’s a significant year for the 37-year-old festival, which is now under new management.
First Presbyterian Church of Greenfield founded the event, but handed it over to neighboring church Bradley United Methodist last year.
The pandemic prompted the cancellation of last year’s festival, and the Presbyterian church has since closed, but the sweet strawberry tradition will live on this year.
For nearly four decades the festival has been a summertime highlight, usually on the first Friday in June, which for years coincided with the annual Concerts on the Plaza music series. A few of the early festivals took place on the plaza.
This year the festival has been bumped to the second Friday in June, which coincides with the city’s efforts to promote special Second Fridays events throughout the year.
The festival is being moved one block north from its previous location — from the parking lot just south of the former Presbyterian church to the lot just south of the Methodist church, on the southwest corner of Main Street and Pennsylvania Street.
Moving the event onto U.S. 40 will hopefully boost visibility and prompt more passersby to stop for a sweet treat on a summer’s day, said festival chair Kathy Locke.
She said members of the former First Presbyterian Church were gracious in handing over everything Bradley will need to host the festival, from the shortcake recipe to marketing materials, even the freezers used to store the ice cream.
The festival has generated about $2,200 to $2,500 in the past, Locke said.
First Presbyterian would donate proceeds to local organizations. Its festival organizers estimated before the 2019 event that the church had raised and given away $50,000 to $75,000 from 1984 to 2018.
Continuing that tradition of giving, Bradley plans to divide this year’s festival proceeds between six local nonprofits: Hancock County Food Pantry; Hope House; Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen; Love INC; The Landing Place; and the Dixie Ross Memorial Scholarship Fund at Bradley Preschool.
Julie Rogers, festival committee sub-chair, said this year’s event will serve as a great way to welcome people back downtown and support some hard-hit nonprofits after a tough year.
“As a downtown entity our church tries to be involved and work with the community however we can,” said Rogers, who has been a member at Bradley for more than 35 years.
“We try to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. As our name gets out there, when people have a need, hopefully they will feel comfortable coming to us for help.”
Locke said roughly 40 people have joined the strawberry festival committee through the church’s community outreach team, known for organizing popular community events like an Easter egg hunt in Riley Park and a trunk-or-treat event at Halloween.
It takes a lot of work orchestrating an event that will hopefully serve 1,300 people, she said.
Back in its heyday, the strawberry festival would draw as many as 2,000 people each year. Locke said her committee would love to grow the event to pull in those types of crowds again, but for now, they’re focused on hosting a great event that would make its founders proud.
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What: 37th annual Strawberry Festival
When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, June 11
Where: Parking lot at the southwest corner of Main Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, downtown Greenfield
Hosted by: Bradley United Methodist Church, 210 W. Main St., Greenfield
Strawberries, Ice Cream, and Homemade Shortcake
$5 in advance; $6 at the door
Pre-sale tickets available at these Greenfield businesses:
Cynthia’s Hallmark
McCleerey’s Sporting Goods
Ye Olde Head Shoppe
Proceeds will support:
Hancock County Food Pantry
Hancock Hope House
Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen
Love, INC
The Landing Place
Dixie Ross Memorial Scholarship Fund at Bradley Preschool.
For updates, look for the 37th Annual Strawberry Festival event on the Bradley United Methodist Church Facebook page.
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