Thousands attend 44th Strawberry Fest in Ridgely

RIDGELY – While the day dawned unusually chilly and breezy for the last weekend in May, thousands received a warm welcome from the folks who organized the 44^th annual Strawberry Festival Sunday, May 25.

“You couldn’t ask for a nicer day,” Ridgely Lion Mike Redgraves said. “I never thought I'd need a sweatshirt on Memorial Day weekend.”

The festival officially opened at 9 a.m. under the trees at Martin Sutton Memorial Park, but Ridgely Lions Club members and volunteers were already selling their famous strawberry shortcake.

“We don’t officially open till 10 o’clock, but everybody here has been selling food or whatever since about 8:30,” Redgraves said. “We sold pork and strawberries around 8:15. The real crowd will come at the end of the parade. You can see a wall of humanity coming behind the parade.”

Ridgely Lions Club sponsors the annual event, and deployed organizers at the parade route and managed dozens of volunteers assembling pork parfaits – bowls filled with barbecue pulled pork  – along with mac and cheese donated by caterer Susan Gay, mashed potatoes and corn bread.

They also sold strawberries by the quart and the ever-popular strawberry shortcake. Ridgely was once known as the Strawberry Capital of the World.

For this year’s festival, Redgraves said Ridgely Lions picked up 1,500 pounds of berries, 40 3-gallon tubs of vanilla ice cream and 11 cases of sheet cakes. Besides Lions, members of Pure Country 4-H Club helped out, and Ridgely Pharmacy proprietor Brenda Walls recruited volunteers who used to help her with the former Ridgely Car Show.

Festival co-chairs Sharon Adams and Brett Meyers led a committee of about ten who began planning the event in October.

“It's going really well. It's a beautiful day, beautiful weather,” Adams said, as she helped customers check out. “I mean, it's a little chilly, but that's all right. It's better than rain, better than 100 degrees.” The 2024 festival was hot and humid and capped by an afternoon thunderstorm.

Adams reminded customers their bowl was compostable and asked them to place them in a special recycling bin. The bowls were made of giant miscanthus grass raised by Dave Tribbett of Twin Maples Farm near Ridgely.

“When we get done we’re gonna weigh it, and then we'll make a donation pound-wise … to do the scholarships for the Lions Club,” Tribbett said. His company, Mid-Atlantic Organic Resource Company, had a booth to showcase the compostable bowls and other items, as well as the miscanthus grass bedding Tribbett has started bagging.

Radio station WCEI of Easton made its first appearance at the festival, supplying music and fun for all ages. DJ Steve Moody, a resident of Ridgely for 18 years, was happy to be entertaining folks in his hometown. He even had hula hoops for the young at heart to really move to the music and get a cardio workout.

“I live two minutes from here,” Moody said. “I'm always driving to Dover or driving to Annapolis or whatever for a wedding. I'm very happy to be here.”

Joanne and Hugh Smith of Denton said they were looking for hot coffee when they arrived mid-morning. “We found it,” Joanne said. “They said it was their own pot. They just made it for themselves, because they said it was 46 degrees this morning.” The couple walked away, but a volunteer caught up with them with cups of coffee.

The Caroline County Sheriff’s Office had a small tent, where Sheriff Donnie Baker and Chief Deputy Rodney Helmer greeted visitors before circulating among the crowd. Several deputies on foot and bicycles patrolled the grounds.

Children played on the park’s playground equipment, but bounce houses had also been set up. Dozens of vendors and organizations offered a variety of goods, information and giveaways.

Gideons International set up a tent to give away New Testaments. While it was still early, they hoped to have a day as successful as a recent food distribution in Preston. “We gave away 270 Bibles, and four people prayed to receive Christ as their Savior,” Gideon Mike Eskow said.

Gracie Spiering visited booths with her mom Katie and little sister Chloe while her dad helped out at a booth. She had already volunteered at the strawberry shortcake booth with Pure Country 4-H Club. Chloe’s face was painted with fairy wings and flecks of patriotic glitter.

“We have friends of ours that live right across the street,” Katie Spiering said, pointing west. “It's usually a tradition for us to go over there and hang out” after the festival.