The Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City
Do you love fresh, sweet strawberries? Do you love food fairs? You should be aware that our hearts throb for both and The Florida Strawberry Festival was right up our alley and S.R. 39. We had been hearing all about its glory since we moved to Tampa and its time had arrived.
To me, strawberries are as much a part of Florida as citrus, sunshine and that damned mouse. When visiting Florida in my younger days, we’d take a trip to Parksdale Farms for shortcake or bring the ripe fruits home and enjoy them with biscuits and whipped cream. To me, Florida equals strawberries.
Therefore, the Florida Strawberry Festival was a must-visit on our list predating our move and we were all hopped up and ready to go.
The Florida Strawberry Festival is eleven days of food, rides, and attractions ostensibly to celebrate the cash crop of Fragaria × ananassa, the fruit known as the strawberry. The cynic in me observes that the festival focus has become less strawberry and more revenue generation.
When you slice off the midway rides and unrelated food stalls, pare away the vendors of unrelated wares and services and focus on those things that are old-fashioned-festival and strawberry oriented, you get a much smaller event.
But the screwball in me loves a fair and says what the hell. Wait, the tickets are how much? Ten dollars plus parking? But the Dillsburg Pickle Fest is free.
We headed for Plant City by taking the back roads that wove through fields bearing the very fruit in question. Repurposed buses stood by as migrant workers filled trays with the plump red berries, that it turns out aren’t berries at all.
Strawberries are commonly known as berries, but scientifically known as an aggregate fruit because scientists are contrarian jerks and knew damned well that strawberries were called berries long before they decided to make “berry” a technical botanical type.
If strawberries and raspberries aren’t truly berries, but bananas and watermelon are then science needs to stop hijacking common terms and stick to keeping Latin afloat. We all know what images spring to mind when the word berry is heard and it isn’t a green basketball or a yellow willy; it’s the small round things, bulbous also tapered.
We drove along the four furlongs of Reynolds Street fair frontage to find parking in the fair’s Red Lot for $5. The ticket booth traded an additional $10 from each of us and we were set loose inside. We maneuvered through the midway rides, games of chance, and food concessions.
The Florida Strawberry Festival
303 North Lemon St.
Plant City, FL 33563-4706
Phone: (813) 752-9194
Contact and Ticket Information
- Adults (ages 13+): $10
- Children (ages 6-12): $5
- Children (ages 5 and under): FREE with paid adult admission
Festival Dates: March – Varies each year, watch the fair website for updates
flstrawberryfestival.com/
I had preconceived notions of there being tent after tent, booth after booth stocked with all things strawberry, from edibles to wearables, to useless kitschery. I imagined strawberries in -ades, ice creams, batter dipped and fried, cakes, and pies, dressings, parfaits, syrups and compotes, jams, clafoutis, donuts and cookies, and even salads with local goat cheese and pecans.
I envisioned strawberry bibs and aprons, t-shirts and hats, gloves and scarves (for northern guests), strawberry jewelry, accessories, hair clips and belt buckles. I fathomed strawberry prints and paintings, wood sculptures and tiles, checkers games and corn hole frames with little aggregate-fruit bean bags, yard ornaments, wind chimes, doormats and porch flags.
I pictures games like guess the number of strawberries in a bushel and strawberry pie eating contests and berry tosses and, and, and…
And surprisingly little of any of that was to be found. [Unless you plan ahead and do your homework, unlike me] Oh, there was a smattering of jams, baked goods, and crafts, but strawberries played a disappointingly small role in the Florida Strawberry Festival. Come to think of it, pickles weren’t all that present in Dillsburg. either.
The Strawberry Festival seemed to be mostly rides, carney games, and generic food concessions in the labyrinthine midway. Some were the very same food trucks we saw at the Florida State Fair—not surprising, that’s what these businesses do is follow the fairs. It’s their raison d’être—and maybe some of the same turkey legs, because there were piles of them but I never saw anyone eating one.
So we ignored the midway for now and moved into what I call The Fair Proper: Exhibit halls, expo halls, soundstage, craft tents, local foods and handicrafts competitions, and most importantly, strawberry vendors. We found ourselves inside the Parke Building. It was a hot day and the shade and air conditioning were already welcome. We were wandering blind and without a clue.
The highlight of the Festival was the strawberry shortcake and I had been advised to get some but had no idea where. There were several outlets for the concoction, but hands down the best (because it was the only make-your-own) were had from the St. Clement Catholic Church. As luck would have it, our wandering asses stumbled right on top of it there in the Parke Building.
Four dollars and a small wait in a long but fast-moving line gets you a ticket to stand in one of two shorter, faster moving lines through make-your-own-shortcake stations, each stocked with three gargantuan bowls: one piled with fresh whole strawberries, a second brimming with sugared strawberry slices, and the third a sea of fluffy, thick, sweetened, real whipped cream.
An attendant took your ticket and asked your preference of either a biscuit or a sponge cake round. I got a biscuit, Christa opted for the sponge cake (you know the ones, the yellow cup-like cakes sold in the produce section of the grocery store next to the strawberries).
I split mine open-face in the styrofoam bowl, ready to soak up all that sweet red berry juice. I then helped myself to as many berries as I could fit into that bowl without spilling over–waste not, want not–and then dolloped as much whipped cream as the physical universe would allow onto the heap of accessory fruit and shortcake.
We reunited on the other side—two Marty Feldmans looking at each other, then at our bowls, then at each other, then at the bowls, smiles as wide as those massive basins. Could it be true? Could so much heaven be had for merely four measly bucks? Well, okay—$16.50 for each of us considering tickets and parking. I immediately committed myself to a second trip before leaving for the day, regardless of how sick I’d become.
You can rationalize gluttony however you want. I’ll opt to justify it as spending $10.25 each versus $16.50 for one. Beware diminishing returns.
We walked in a slow aimless path as we faded in and out of reality between spoonfuls of sweet strawberry, juice-soaked cake, and luscious whipped cream.
Each spoonful was deliberate and appreciated. I focused on each bite as the fruit and whipped cream slipped over my tongue and mashed against my palate: the crumbs of alkali biscuit strewn throughout the smooth sweetened cream punctuated with the tiny seeds in the juicy sugary flesh of sliced berries, over and over and…it was gone.
I tipped my bowl to drain the remaining strawberry juice into my mouth and let it sit for a moment, soaking my tongue before swallowing the final drop.
There was little that could top that, that day. We should have saved it for last, but we feared the lines would grow unbearably long as the day went on. We exited that building and headed east, toward the Hull Armory Building that housed the art show and photo competition exhibit. As an artist myself, I’m always keen to check out the local talents, so we went in to enjoy the air conditioning and regional aesthetics.
There were quite a few fantastic pieces, as well as some noble attempts. I was particularly amused by a local troll’s stab at the committee squares. I wouldn’t call it extremely humorous, but it got a smirk and a snap from me.
Back in the fray of attendees weaving through the maze of stands, stall, tents, and halls, we wandered in and out of the usual collection of fair vendors. The word “crafts” was used a lot, but true handicrafts represented only a small percentage of items offered for sale. It was gimmicks and gadgets galore.
Speaking of offers for sale, care to invest in your very own carny attraction? We may have found an opportunity to buy a concession of our own and jump on the fair vendor lifestyle. This man had his booth for sale.
Now, we’ve outgrown carnival rides and though we may take a spin on a Ferris wheel now and then, we tend to skip the midway altogether at fairs. Carney games are another thing we overlook. It’s a scam, though a good-natured one, done with a wink and a nod from each party involved but whose got room for all those garbage prizes?
Unless we have children along, I’ve lost my interest in throwing rings on bottles, catapulting frogs at lily pads, and landing ping pong balls in fish bowls to decrease the surplus population of goldfish. But all of that is on us; it’s our loss.
That said, these companies pay a pretty penny to the organizers to be there, and so do the food concessionaires, and every crafter, artist, soapmaker, non-stick cookware hawker, and weight loss gimmick charlatan. Judging from the tents full of rent payers, there’s a nice bit of cash flowing through the local and commission coffers. Which, let’s face it, is the reason for the season. I’m hip.
So what do your ten bucks at the gate get you? Well, it all depends on what you want and when you go. If you plan ahead and strategize, there’s no reason you can’t get your money’s worth. Yes, once inside you continue to pay for food including the strawberries, but that’s in exchange for some tasty treats (tasty being in the mouth of the beholder.)
Our decision to go in blind and wing it left us not prepared to find musicians or other acts that we’d enjoy and we wound up wandering aimlessly. Well, not aimless, we did have strawberries on the brain, so we should be forgiven a bit for having tunnel vision for the cause célèbre.
Yes, you find yourself winding through tents and halls full of skin care products, mortgage lenders, lawn equipment, spas, construction companies, cutlery, wireless providers, deceptively priced bulk candy, etc., but there is included entertainment if you seek it out.
There is plenty of “free” entertainment available if you like country music, gospel, country music, R&B, country music, Spanish language talent shows, country music, southern rock, country music, magic acts, country music, bluegrass, country music….
Here’s the list of entertainers that performed around the fair this year and were free to watch. Descriptions are based on my assessments after looking them up online:
- Redhead Express – An acoustic ginger genre potpourri – daily multiple performances
- Dennis Lee – A country cover septet if you count June the tambourinist – daily multiple performances
- Bob Green – With the Whiskey Conspiracy, an alt-country singer-songwriter – March 1
- Eli Mosley – Another modern country singer-songwriter – March 2
- First Baptist Church of Plant City Modern Worship Team “Gospel Night” – March 3
- Randy McNeeley Band – Yet another modern singer-songwriter of “rockin’ outlaw country” – March 4
- Next Radical Generation – Hooray for Everything meets Kidz Bop – March 5
- 33 Years – “South Florida-based indie-rock band,” “Ragged Neil Young,” “folk-punk-like”— the three bland tastes that taste bland together – March 6
- Single Malt Brothers – Local Land O’ Lakers, classic rock/country covers and originals – March 7
- Steve Minotti – Florida singer-songwriter of acoustic country and…zzzzzz
- Tobacco Rd. Band – March 9 – Yeah, they abbreviated road, but they seem to love it so. Bro-Country – March 8
- Soul Circus Cowboys – Country, I guess. – March 10
- HOLA Plant City! Conda Sound – Spanish language TV talent show, live on stage – March 11
- Mike Walker – Country and rock covers – daily multiple performances
- Kazual – Acapella R&B America’s Got Talent alums – daily multiple performances
- The Walker Boys – A young bluegrass band in the Appalachian vein – daily multiple performances
- Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show – A fusion jazz trio—just kidding – daily multiple performances
- Scott’s World of Magic – The quaint innocence of a town fair magic show – daily multiple performances
- Runa Pacha Indian World – “Southern and Northern native windpipes and flutes, combined with a variety of string instruments and modern electronic effects” – daily multiple performances
- Lucy Pet’s Surfing & All-Star Stunt Dog Show – A rolling tank full of wet dog – daily multiple performances
- Robinson’s Racing Pigs – Look at those trotters go – daily multiple performances
- Southland Dairy Farmers Milking Show – A mobile live milking demonstration – daily multiple performances – Udderly…Nah, I can’t.
- Meet the Festival’s Official Mascot “Mr. Berry” – “You want to try a little harder, son?” Somebody tell this guy he’s an accessory fruit – daily multiple performances
- Maximus G – A performer in a suit that looks suspiciously similar to Bumblebee – daily multiple performances
- Royale – A performer in a suit that looks suspiciously dissimilar to Bumblebee – daily multiple performances
In addition, many headlining acts are scheduled for additional ticket purchases.
Was it worth it? That depends on how you perceive value. $33 dollars buys a lot of fresh strawberries, sugar, heavy cream and Bisquick. For that scratch, I could be eating strawberry shortcakes until my ears bleed jam.
But if the musical acts appeal to you, if you like a nice magic show, if you’re into livestock and watching cows get milked, if you like people watching and amateur art shows and listening to sales-folk hawk their wares, if you simply enjoy the general atmosphere that is a fair, then you can certainly forage for your moneys worth.
Of course, these acts and events, as well as things like the strawberry spaghetti eating contest, are spread out over ten days. You’d have to pay a hundred bucks each to see it all. What if I want to see Redhead Express and Soul Circus Cowboys and enter the Amish donut eating contest? Those additional days tickets and parking equal seven more strawberry shortcakes.
It pays to not be a cynic, and though it is a duality of this man to be half skeptic, the other half is a pure sap. I’m a sucker for small-town fun and we had a good time and will probably go again next year. If anything, simply to do it right and prove that a worthwhile time can be had if I just plan it a little better.
The entire event was very similar to the Florida State Fair on a smaller scale. The vibe and general experience of each were close enough to make going to both one after the other seem redundant.
As I’ve written before, we both love fairs and visited them ritually back home, but then those were free to enter. Of course, there was not the abundance of live entertainment. I’m harping on the money again and I don’t want to sound cheap. Only, when money is tight you look for ways to get the most value for your dollar. With limited funds, we have to decide whether to go to both next years, go to only one, go to neither, or some other option.
Here’s an alternative way to experience a fair and celebrate the strawberry season: Choose the State Fair for the fair experience, then visit Parkesdale Farms to get your strawberry fix. Do I advise limiting your experience so? No. Do both at least once.
That was our first experience at the Florida Strawberry Festival. We’re not accustomed to paying to enter such fairs, outside of the Farm Show and York Fair, and this isn’t on the scale of such. We’d rather spend our money at the vendors inside. Still, it was definitely worth it as a first time experience.
If you decide to go next year, to eke out more value I strongly urge you to consult the schedule when it is released, find music acts and entertainers you think you’d appreciate and go on the day they are performing. The experience of a few live acts will make the ticket and parking price well compensated. Then choose what other attractions interest you and head there to occupy your time between performances: the art show the livestock, the strawberry growers display, the food eating contests, etc.
When you want to cool off or fill up the rest of your day, you can wander the expo and exhibit halls looking at crafts, products, and wares. Maybe listen to a few snake oil spiels for fun. After all, what’s a small town fair without snake oil and carpetbaggers?
I went back for seconds on the strawberry shortcake.