Plant City is Florida’s big strawberry area. One of these days I’ll take the girls there
for the festival they hold. “Always go
to the source,” my dad would say, which is always great wisdom. Of course, that means I’d have to figure out
where Plant City is and I suck at geography about as much as I suck at math. Don’t tell the 8-year old that, however,
because I’m the one that helps her with her homework. So, until I get directions to the source of
the fresh strawberries, we’ll have to settle for the local strawberry festival
near our community college.
The Habitat for Humanity sponsors the event in our town and this
year they did an amazing job. We didn’t
arrive until noon and the place was packed.
I never realized so many people had a taste for strawberries. We stayed for five hours and would have
stayed longer, except at five they closed up shop. I wasn’t really sure of the reason behind
this as with Daylight Savings there was still three hours of light left, but
then again, I don’t understand Daylight Savings Time, either. All it does is mess with my sense of time and
throw my internal clock out of whack. I’m
sure they would have made quite a bit more moolah, but who am I to question the
powers-that-be?
The Strawberry Festival is not just about strawberries. There were half a dozen rows of crafters selling
their wares to those with a creative eye.
This is really why we wanted to go and what we spent the majority of our
time exploring. You name it, it was
there. Woodworking. Photography.
Yard signs. Sand art. Clothing.
Steel drums. Jewelry. Sports paraphernalia. And our favorite, the dipping sauce
samples. Some of the crafts were amazing,
the artists quite gifted.

We hadn’t had lunch yet, so the first thing the girls and I
did when passing through the entrance was make a beeline for the food tents. Wait.
That’s not true. The first thing
we did was purchase tickets, which was how you purchased the food. It was a smart idea, really. Keep all of the money in one area so the
vendors can just hand out food without worrying about making change. I plopped down fifty bucks, grabbed my forty
tickets, and took my growling tummy to the food tents.
Festivals, like carnivals, have a variety of choices. However, unlike carnivals, the food is actually
edible. It was almost like the food
court at the mall. We could choose
between hot dogs and hamburgers or go for the meatball subs. There was barbeque and even a booth that sold
nothing but French fries. Of course,
there were all kinds of strawberry treats, but we decided to hold off on those
until afterward. We had to set a
nutritional example for the 8-year old, after all. At least, that’s what the girls told me. I looked at the strawberry-topped funnel cake
and sighed as I walked to the condiment tent with my hamburger.
One of the other great aspects of festivals that I enjoy is
the entertainment. Sometimes it’s of a
professional quality as in a local band or DJ, but most often its dance classes
or school bands volunteering just for the chance to perform. While sometimes lacking the polish of more
seasoned performers, these small groups excel with heart and passion for their
art form.
While we were enjoying our lunch, a local dance studio had
their young performers - 4th to 7th grade, it seemed - on the stage, rotating
through solo dance and group numbers. I
was impressed with several of the routines.
So was the 8-year old apparently, as she sat with her pizza halfway to
her mouth just lost in the production on stage.
She never moved or even blinked.
She was as much fun to watch as the dancers.
Once our bellies were filled and grumpiness averted, we
toured the craft booths. It’s amazing
how often to me such an event can take place and you rarely ever run into
anyone you know. The place was filled
with meandering people and it wasn’t until the very end that we ran into a
couple we knew. My dad couldn’t go
anywhere without running into someone he knew.
We could be in the middle of nowhere, five states away, and sure enough
my father would run into a friend or co-worker.
I could sit at the mall for a month and never see anyone.
After spending three hours and too much money touring the
booths, my sweet tooth was ready for some strawberry dessert. They had over-priced chocolate dipped strawberries,
strawberry shortcake (of course), and funnel cake smothered in
strawberries. We got one of each. The funnel cake was the most popular and the
line took thirty minutes to get through to the delight waiting at the other
end. It was worth it, however, and
although I wouldn’t wait that long at Applebee’s for a table, this allowed me a
great opportunity to view the other festival goers. Several times, I paused to capture some
tidbit in my handy dandy notebook.
Four hours in, foot sore, sun burnt, and exhausted, it was
time to give the 8-year old her reward for being a good girl. The strawberries were mine. They had a kid’s area roped off with booths
and games for the little ones to play and win prizes. They also had bouncy houses, a petting zoo,
horse rides, and a bungee jump (not the adult version). The 8-year old zoomed in on the big three and
claimed her reward.
Amusement parks, such as Disney World or Universal, are
great. However, I really do prefer the
small festivals that celebrate culture, music, or a type of food. It brings the community together through
volunteers and support, not to mention the participation. It allows artists a chance to display their
creations and admirers a chance to buy them.
While the Strawberry Festival is meant to push strawberries, I believe it’s
a true celebration of community. In a
time when so much seems to want to pull people apart, these events help bring
people together, and that’s worth the sun burn any day.
* * * * *
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My iPad ate my comment from this morning so let's try this again...Sounds like a great day and I believe the 8-year-old made a fine choice with the yummy looking pizza. Funnel cake..forget it, I would gladly stand in line for an hour or more. : ) I love fairs, festivals and craft shows..I just wish we had more here in NJ. I also agree with supporting the local small businesses and of course, the arts. Great post...
ReplyDeleteAnd that's why I stay away from Apple lol... Thanks, Stephanie, for visiting and commenting. There seems to be always one going on every month around here or at least somewhere close by. I enjoy just hanging out and collecting people.
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