Ice cream is dipped at the annual Strawberry Festival at College Hill Presbyterian Church in Easton, PA, a celebration that turned 100 years old in June.
Clams, sausage sandwiches, drumsticks, baked beans, and potato and pasta salad. It sounds like a menu for a large family reunion. And in many ways, that’s exactly what the annual Strawberry Festival at College Hill Presbyterian Church is. Rest assured, you’ll find plenty of strawberries, cake and ice cream at the June bash in Easton, PA, as well.
For 100 years, the College Hill congregation has hosted this yearly get-together to celebrate the summer’s haul of the savory fruit. It benefits the community and the congregation that teams up to put on the festival.
“It’s huge,” said Carolyn Evans, who’s in her second year as the co-chair of the gathering, when asked about the joy she gets out of helping with the event. “You don’t get people showing up unless the enjoyment and camaraderie are high. And that is certainly the case. We’re able to do something that is helping the church, helping the community, helping those who need our assistance.
“It’s a huge time commitment and you don’t do it if it’s total drudgery.”
All the funds raised are returned directly to the community.
“The Mission Committee meets, and they decide how the money gets distributed to local non-profit organizations that have needs,” Carolyn explained.
This year’s celebration, which marked 100 years since College Hill put on its first Strawberry Festival, was one of its largest ever, raising more than $5,000. Attendance isn’t kept, but Carolyn estimated well over 100 people, maybe close to 200 people, turned out for this year’s event. The church also delivered meals to local shut-ins.
“Some come just for the games, some come just for the meal,” Carolyn said.
Those figures wouldn’t be where they are without the generous donations of food and volunteers the church receives on an annual basis.
“We are very fortunate in that one of the local stores donates money that normally covers the cost of our strawberries,” Carolyn said. “That’s the largest donation. But we have other merchants that will give a $25 gift card here or a $40 gift card there. A local seafood restaurant always donates a bushel of clams, and a congregation member donates another half bushel to a bushel.
“And (the steaming) is done by the Boy Scouts. We have a Boy Scout troop that’s been associated with our church for 100 years as well and they take care of doing that.”
Held the first Thursday in June, the Strawberry Festival at College Hill Church started with simply cake, ice cream and, of course, strawberries. It eventually blossomed into a full meal that this year included preparing approximately 60 pounds of barbecue, 40-50 pounds of potatoes, 160 sausage patties, 30-40 pounds of drumsticks and 40 pounds of potatoes that are peeled and boiled for potato salad.
“Our quantities are somewhat limited by our stove and refrigerator availability,” Carolyn said. “There’s only so much space. We usually run out of food but there really isn’t too much we can do in terms of that.”
Homemade chocolate sauce and whipped cream that goes with cakes baked by the congregation are part of the dessert menu that accompany the strawberries and vanilla ice cream.
“There are 16 flats of strawberries that all have to be cleaned and sliced,” Carolyn said.
The day also includes events like “musical cakes” where people will walk in a circle until the music stops, at which point the winner can choose a cake to take home with them. Other things like a dunk tank, fish tank and inflatable bouncy house are also now part of the annual gathering thanks to the church’s youth group.
It takes many hours to prepare the strawberries for the annual Strawberry Festival at College Hill Church.
“It really is a very labor-intensive activity, but on the other hand people who aren’t even deacons show up because it’s such a good builder of community,” Carolyn said. “I was a teacher, and I have former students who schedule their visits home for the week of the Strawberry Festival because they know that they’ll run into former classmates, former teachers and former neighbors that they interact with.”
There have been pony rides, performances by the local high school dance troops and the junior high band, and hand-on events with the area fire department’s truck, all of which is packed into a three-hour window on that Thursday evening.
“The police department blocks off the street because we have various church and community members who provide entertainment and children’s activities,” Carolyn continued. “This year, which seems like it might become a new tradition, there’s a group called the Djembe Drummers from the Village on College Hill, which is part of national organization that helps seniors age in place. It is a very social, active group. They drummed in the opening of the festival this year, and that led into the various entertainment activities.”
Coupons are given out to the neighbors, performers and firemen so they can enjoy a free meal. Those people who live in the neighborhood and are affected by the road closures and added noise and crowds also receive coupons as a thank you for dealing with the inconveniences.
Recently, factors have caused some changes to the format of the annual Strawberry Festival. Two years ago, the Canadian wildfires forced the festival to be moved indoors. And in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, the organizing committee had to trim down the menu and cancel the activities, resulting in a drive-through event with cake, strawberries and chocolate sauce. A local vendor provided coupons for those wanting to add ice cream to their dessert that year.
“We have always found a way to make it work in spite of some interesting obstacles,” Carolyn said.
Anniversary hats and T-shirts were sold for this year’s 100th festival. This commemorative merchandise was included in this year’s event, which was very different from what it was decades ago.
“It’s interesting seeing some of the old pictures where women are serving in their floral dresses with their pearls,” Carolyn said with a chuckle. “It’s a far cry from what you see today. It was much more of a tea-pouring mindset than what we have today.”
Carolyn has been a deacon at College Hill Church involved with the planning of the Strawberry Festival on three different occasions for a total of eight years. It’s an event she’s proud of and one that continues to give back to this Easton community.
“(I’ve seen God’s hand through) the connections and the threads that God’s moved around to make sure that even though so many things could possibly go awry, it’s a smooth machine,” she said. “He’s put the right people in place. He’s taught them the dance that has to be done.
“It really takes the whole congregation. There are very few people who don’t participate in some way. It’s a huge community piece.”
The 100th anniversary Strawberry Festival generated more than $5,000 for College Hill Church, which in turn donated the funds back into non-profit organizations in the Easton area.