Delaplane Strawberry Festival

There's one festival and weekend that I look forward to all year long. This year it happened to REALLY be a weekend I was yearning for since it was the official start to my summer vacation! But this festival is so much more than a festival to me; it's a celebration of service, compassion, and tradition.

You see, the Delaplane Strawberry Festival is the work, toil, and sweat of a very small church. Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Delaplane, Virginia puts together and runs this two-day festival and over the years this festival has grown considerably in size. The tiny congregation has worked together to create a beautiful & family-friendly festival filled with crafters, hay rides, children's games, cake walks, performers (including SCORE), strawberries, strawberry shortcake, cheesecake, and sundaes, and more! This festival makes for a wonderful experience for all ages.

After volunteering for years, greeting old family friends, smiling and talking with familiar vendors, and taking in the beauty that was around me, my heart was filled with glee and I was "home."

My dad refers to this festival as almost Brigadoon-like and he couldn't be more right. The festival gets set-up in a day (Friday), stays for two days, and at 5 PM on Sunday it starts to disappear. It's set at the beautiful Sky Meadows State Park, set in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, with the view of a pond, and rolling hills. People come from all around Virginia, some visiting from out-of-state, and then we all return to our lives. But we know that it will return again...

The proceeds of this festival go to SO many good causes; it's an honor to be a part of such a significant and powerful event.

This year was not unlike any other year- I worked at the strawberry tent. I love selling strawberries! It was fun to work and sell the berries, while working side-by-side with my mom. I also LOVE getting to smell the strawberries all. day. long.

And, I can never resist a few, slow meanders through the craft vendors! I always walk away with something and I always start dreaming about what it would be like to have my own stand... perhaps one day! :)

_______________________________________________

I have so much to say after this last week, but I am going to try to spread it out over a few posts. This is a good problem, eh?