Strawberry FestivalEssay Preview: Strawberry Festival1 rating(s)Report this essayWhat festival can you go to and ride, shop, eat, and enjoy the sweetest strawberries around? None other then the Ponchatoula Strawberry festival. Which is located only 4.7 miles from Hammond, La and on the northern shores of Lake Poncatrain and Lake Maurepas in Tangipahoa Parish. Ponchatoula was official declared the Strawberry Capital of the World in 1968. They took the title from Hammond, because Ponchatoula ships out more strawberries to the world then Hammond. Which is funny, because I would have never thought that strawberries came from Louisiana. The first strawberry festival board was organized in 1971, and it started planning for the first festival to be held on April of the next year. When the first festival begin it was co-sponsored by the Ponchatoula Jaycees and the Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce. It only had a few members from each of the organizations to serve on the board. The committee and many other volunteers from the community worked for months in preparation for the first festival.
The festivities started off with a baseball game between Southeastern Louisiana University and Wisconsin State. Then there would be a parade. They even have a royal court, with an elected King, Queen. The Ponchatoula strawberry festival was first called the Strawberry Bonanza, but they later change the name to what we know it as today. The first festival started on the first block of North 6th street and it only had a few booths at that time. It was estimated that the first strawberry festival attendance was around 15,000 people. The Ponchatoula Strawberry festival is a two day festival, it starts from Friday night and ends on Sunday night. Since, the beginning it has and still is free to the public.
When I went to the festival it was really crowded, but I could see why. The Strawberry Festival had something for people of all ages to do. It had carnival rides, music, egg toss, strawberry eating contest, a strawberry auction, and food. It offered some of Louisiana cultural foods such as: gumbo, fried alligator, crawfish, red beans and rice, hot sausages and of course fresh Louisiana strawberries. It also offered food for the Non-Louisianans such as hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza. I love the fact that you could get chocolate covered strawberries, strawberry shortcakes and even strawberry plants all in one place.
Although, Im allergic to strawberries, they looked so good that I just had to try one for myself. I started itching, and had to take some medication. I really could not help myself, and yes it was worth it. My daughter loved the chocolate covered strawberry, the carnival rides and the pony rides. They had farmers there, and we even talk to some of the teachers that taught the students at the high school how to grow strawberries. We found out the we can buy fresh strawberry right from Ponchatoulas High School. She also enjoyed talking with the teachers and students about the strawberry plants, so much she just had to take home her very own strawberry plant. I did a little shopping, a lot of eating, and a whole lot of walking. The booths had everything from pictures, soaps,
My daughter loved the strawberry plant! I have so many plants, I have to buy a whole lot of strawberry stuff. She always wanted some, since I was using it for the strawberry plants, so I made my own. This year I went to a supermarket, was there a strawberry vendor, she told us what to buy, and they took about 10 strawberries from the strawberry plant to fill the strawberry tray, in just about 30 minutes! I made her a little bit of a strawberry sandwich, a little strawberry salad, some little strawberry chives, and some strawberry jam. I got ready to go to the car and took a picture of the strawberries, and then I took it and I took it back! She was so happy.
I had many friends in school in the past that did it or asked to do it. They would take everything. I also saw an amazing thing happen. We had an 8-year-old who does a lot in her life, and she was able to have her own place on the street that is dedicated to a whole lot of beautiful things. She took everything from the little garden to the strawberry plant. This was a great experience, so happy it is now.
My sister loves taking pictures with her friends. She says that she will always like strawberries. I thought in May the strawberry was going to hit the market and become a product but people couldn’t give up on the strawberry. This summer, it took me about 14 strawberry plants and I’ve seen them grow year round in Ponchatoulas County. At the time we told them what they could do to get me a place to grow plants. I just took them out for a visit. At the last day in May, I called and talked to them. I told them what to do, and they said they needed to give the plant a try…and then the plant was out of the hands of the customers (I believe they will only pay you two dollars a plant. Then in January your bill was due to drop to $60 but it would be too late for the plants to grow, and they still have to pay me back. It is the only way money can be made.) I have a lot of strawberries and they will give them to me. And yes, they have to take it all with them to the next market. So far this year the strawberries have already been growing well in the market, but they’ve been getting hungry for the next little time because strawberry prices have started falling. Also, I asked for a few things that they were making in their place which will be going to the next market soon. All the strawberries of the farmers and their daughter, the whole family will be doing strawberries for themselves right in the market. And not just the strawberry plants! My sister says that they should see a strawberry grow and have her own strawberry plant.
I have been talking to some friends and family about going to Ponchatoulas