Fundraiser: Berry blast!

By Bob Gibbins, Press Staff Writer
Published: April 28, 2010 in the Tahlequah Daily Press
http://tahlequahdailypress.com/features/x537286352/Berry-blast

TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA - Few things herald spring's sumptuousness more than a sweet, juicy strawberry.

And some of the best strawberries to be found in this part of the country come from Stilwell, so it's only natural that the Stilwell Strawberry Festival has become a tradition for northeastern Oklahoma residents, with the first held in 1948.

This year's festival will culminate on Saturday, May 8, with events being held throughout the Stilwell area. An expected 20,000 to 30,000 people will flock to the Adair County seat for the event.

Barry Hayes, president of the Stilwell Kiwanis Club, sponsor of the event, had just come from the latest meeting to plan the festival Tuesday afternoon. He said the local growers are optimistic about this year's production, but hope the nights will get warmer so the crop will ripen sooner.

"They tell me the berries look better than they have in 30 years," Hayes said. "But the weather has everything to do with it."

For more than six decades, the festival has been held on the second Saturday in May, although often the crop doesn't peak until the next week. So sometimes, people who come hoping to take home a flat of strawberries are disappointed.

"We'll serve strawberries and ice cream, no matter what happens," Hayes said.

He suggests people who want to take home a larger sample of Stilwell berries call one of the growers beforehand to reserve their share. Growers pick only a limited number of berries, and reservations are one way to guarantee a supply.

"There's a listing of growers on our website," Barry said.

The festival will feature all of the traditional accouterments of such events - plenty of food, music, arts and crafts, pretty girls, a parade. Three traditions of the Stilwell Strawberry Festival - the annual rodeo, Maryetta powwow and all-school reunion for Stilwell alumni - will continue.

This year will feature some new faces, Barry said.

The Northeastern State University Jazz Band, directed by Dr. Tommy Poole, will perform at the festival for the first time during the afternoon. The local Dry Creek Band also will perform.

The high school, junior high and community choirs will sing during the morning.

For many Stilwell residents, the year just wouldn't be complete without the festival.

One who always looks forward to it, and has volunteered for the past 20 years since her retirement from teaching, is Betty Barker, Stilwell Chamber of Commerce secretary.

"I have never missed one," she said. "Even when I lived away, I was always here for the Strawberry Festival."

It's like old home week, when many former Stilwell residents return for the school reunion and enjoy visiting with friends and family.

Barker helps put on the Strawberry Queen pageant, another event that spans generations. This year, reigning queen Jessika Baird (from one of the major strawberry growing families) will relinquish her crown to Whitney Reese, who earned the title during the pageant in March.

"And her mother was the queen 30 years ago," Barker said of Reese.

Barker's also ready to participate in one of the festival's other annual traditions. On the Wednesday before the festival, she'll be part of a delegation going to Oklahoma City to promote the festival at the state Legislature.

"We always take strawberries to the Capitol and we serve strawberry shortcake to the House and the Senate," she said.

The lawmakers look forward to a little respite from debating the state budget and other issues, she said. And they certainly welcome the shortcake.

"Most of us here look forward to the festival and are excited about it," she said. "It's amazing how this little town of less than 4,000 grows to 25,000 or 30,000."

She's somewhat optimistic about this year's crop. One grower told her there will be berries available May 8, although many of them will not ripen until the next week.

"You know how it is. We have warm days and cool nights, and the cool nights do not help grow strawberries," she said.

Another reason for fewer berries is that fewer people, and fewer acres, are devoted to strawberry cultivation.

"We don't have the acreage we did at one time," Barker said. "At one time, we had 2,000 acres of strawberries."

And, as for the weather, Strawberry Festival promoters hope appearances by the queen and others on area television and radio stations next week may convince the weather forecasters to predict higher temperatures, and a sunny Saturday on festival day.