NORTHUMBERLAND—St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 6801 Northumberland Highway, Heathsville, will hold its 2023 Strawberry Festival from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 27.
The festival is one of the largest community events in the region and draws thousands of people from the Northern Neck and beyond, reported festival chairman Ellen Kirby.
“We’ve won ‘Best of the Rivah’ and ‘Best of Virginia’ awards for this annual event. The festival is a wonderful way to celebrate the beginning of summer and bring people together,” said Kirby. “St. Stephen’s is pleased to be able to welcome the entire community to a family-friendly event.”
More than 100 craft artists and exhibitors will display original work including jewelry, fine art, woodwork, granite and stained glass, clothing, leatherwork, textiles, basketry, soaps and lotions, garden art and specialty food items.
Many community groups also will exhibit and provide demonstrations, including the Northumberland Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Northumberland Public Library. Mid-County Volunteer Rescue Squad will conduct free blood pressure screenings and Callao Volunteer Fire Department will bring a fire truck. WRAR radio will broadcast from the festival from 8:30-11:30 a.m. A color guard presentation and community prayer by St. Stephen’s priest, the Rev. Pilar Parnell, will open the festival at 8:30 a.m.
The festival will feature more than 1,200 quarts of freshly picked local strawberries that will be sold by the quart as well as transformed into homemade strawberry shortcakes.
For those with a sweet tooth, the St. Stephen’s bakery will offer Meade’s famous rum cakes, assorted pound cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pies, muffins and homemade preserves as well as many other sweet and savory homemade items.
“We are excited to promote the 2022 Good Housekeeping’s award-winning children’s book, I Love Strawberries by Shannon Anderson,” said Kirby. “We will have readings in the kids’ activity booth, as well as a strawberry-themed scavenger hunt.” I Love Strawberries also is the Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom 2023 Book of the Year.
Music will be provided throughout the festival by the jazz ensemble “On Water’s Edge.” Seating is provided.
A large plant sale will feature hundreds of herbs, vegetables, annuals and native plants, along with perennials, succulents and some unusual specimens.
A silent auction will be held adjacent to the entry arch.
“Come bid on unusual items: some brand new, some antique, some conversation starters,” said Kirby. Strawberry Festival vendors also will donate items to the auction.
The church’s thrift shop will offer great bargains that day.
The historic St. Stephen’s sanctuary will be open for tours, and docents will provide a history of the building, which was built in 1881 and is an example of the Carpenter-Gothic construction of the time. The original heart pine floors and pews were refinished recently, and the lighting has been updated.
Proceeds from the festival and other St. Stephen’s events fund the church’s outreach efforts and financial donations to charitable organizations.
