Strawberry Festival

Florida is a leading provider of strawberries to the US in the winter months. A large percentage of the growers are in the Plant City area which is just east of Tampa. Every year at this time the strawberry festival is held, we were aware of it in years past but this is the first year we have visited the event. 

Picture a state or county fair and you’ll have a good ideal of the Strawberry Festival. Two different carnivals are set up, one on each end of the fairgrounds. There were more food concessionaires than I’ve ever seen in one place at the same time. Musical entertainment is none stop all day plus there are two headliner shows per day, each one with a different well known entertainer.  We took in two shows, A Las Vegas band called Savannah Jack and an all female group from Alaska called Redhead Express, both were very entertaining. Many of the pavilions held crafters and entrepreneurs selling every type of gadget or gizmo you can think of. There is also an agriculture building with many different breeds of chickens, rabbits, goats, cows and plants are displayed.

Last but prominently promoted everywhere is strawberries, by the case, in shortcake, strawberry pie, strawberry tart, strawberry pizza, the strawberry princess, take your picture with a giant strawberry. I think the only way I didn’t see them was deep fried, but that’s not to say fried strawberries weren’t there, maybe I just missed them!

While there on Friday we purchased tickets for the Kelly Pickler concert on Tuesday evening so we’ll be going back for that, and more of that fried carnival food!