Currently, they are the star attraction at area markets. You’ve probably seen the signs at your own grocery store: “2 for $4” or “Buy One Quart Get One Free.” Or perhaps, you love them so much you have ventured out to the fields to pick your own. I’m talking about strawberries. The red delicious, and oh-so-versatile fruit is in season and ready to be devoured in cakes, pies, and ice cream. Try them sliced into a salad, on top of breakfast cereal or pancakes, dusted with confectioners’ sugar or dipped in chocolate… it’s easy to do at a local Strawberry Festival.
Two of the largest Strawberry Festivals in my state take place this month. If you are traveling to Wisconsin you’ll want to make a pit stop at Cedarburg’s 21st Annual Strawberry Festival. (Cedarburg is located 20 miles north of Milwaukee.) Strawberries mean summer in Wisconsin and this festival celebrates the luscious fruit in ways you have to see to believe. Sure you can buy the ripe, juicy berries by the quart and later peruse other booths to see and taste mouth-watering berry creations from Strawberry Shortcake and Strawberry Crepes to Strawberry Slush, Strawberry Schaum Torte and Strawberry Blush Wine. But, how often do you get the chance to see grown men dressed as strawberries wolf down bowls of strawberries in an all-you-can-eat strawberry extravaganza?
Another area Strawberry Festival we like to visit is in Waupaca, Wisconsin. Here the children (not their parents) dress up in strawberry costumes as the city turns the spotlight on the succulent fruit. The downtown comes alive with live entertainment; a strawberry-themed arts and craft fair and a strawberry pancake breakfast. But, you don’t have to make a special trip to Wisconsin to attend a Strawberry Festival. Celebrations honoring this sweet treat take place annually from Ashland, Virginia to Wallington, Victoria, Australia. The popularity of the fruit and its festivals even inspired Food Network to travel to Poteet, Texas, a city that claims to grow the sweetest strawberries in the land. Each year townsfolk throw a festival to let the world know it.
Strawberry Festivals are great places to learn new recipes, try new dishes… and perhaps watch as ravenous “human strawberries” try to outshine their delicate counterparts. To find a Strawberry Festival in your area visit this helpful website which lists the dates and descriptions of Strawberry Festivities around the world.