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Festival brings out all kinds of gaiety
By MICHAEL A. MOHAMMED
Published March 9, 2007
The Florida Strawberry Festival winds down this weekend. Before it does, take in the berries, the kitsch and the classic fair food and rides.
BARBARA BARTLETT bears a 75-year-old grudge. As a 16-month-old, she came in second in the Baby Parade at one of the earliest Florida Strawberry Festivals. That was 1932. "I still hate the woman who won first," she jokes. "I think politics were involved. She was the mayor's daughter." She spent a day volunteering at the Plant City Historical Society's shortcake booth. She's done it annually for about 35 years. THE VARIETY OF GREASY DELICIOUSNESS makes for some tough choices. Corn dog or Polish sausage? Elephant ear or strawberry milk shake? Which makes some of the more dubious options downright confusing. A fried bologna sandwich? "New York Style" pizza? "Chinese food?" Out of a trailer? Stick with the sausage and shortcake. THE FESTIVAL BOASTS some truly weird advertisements. "Be a winner with BEEF," shouts a sign on a cart hawking "beef sandwiches." "Porcelain eggs for every occasion!" reads the banner over a knickknack booth, as if they were selling survival gear or greeting cards. Because nothing says "happy college graduation" like a porcelain egg. THE FESTIVAL'S RIDES look rickety, like any good traveling carnival ride. Walk by the "Wacky Shack," a low-rent fun house, and revel in the sounds of squealing metal. Or get confused when you read the name painted on one ride, "1001 Nachts." It doesn't appear to have anything to do with Arabian folktales. And "nachts" is the German word for nights. Its operator gives an even more twisted explanation: It's supposed to be like a flying carpet, sort of, and "nachts" is a mixture of "nights" and "mach." Obviously. THE LIVESTOCK SHOW might be the best part of the festival. The rabbits are, predictably, cute, with breed names like Lion Head, English Angora, and Mini Rex. But the poultry is even cooler. Chickens and roosters in every color, with outrageous plumage, cluck and crow from their cages. Pass on the hogs, unless you like watching 300-pound animals eliminate vast quantities of waste. AS THE SKY DARKENS, the lovable grandmothers staffing the shortcake stand turn it over to teens from Plant City High School's Key Club. Ryan Brown, the 18-year-old club president, has been to every festival since he moved here in first grade. "It's just something you have to do," he said. What makes Plant City natives special? "People here know what a strawberry is," he says. He can't eat strawberries anywhere else and rejects the notion that better ones can be found in Brandon. What's the worst thing about the festival? "The invasion of the North. The snowbirds come down, so there's all these old people on the roads." Michael A. Mohammed can be reached at mmohammed@sptimes.com or 813 226-3404. . If you go Florida Strawberry Festival Where: 2209 West Oak St., Plant City Gates open: 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m. today through Sunday. Midway open until midnight Admission: $9 for ages 13 and up; ages 6-12, $5; age 5 and under, free Concerts: (admission sold separately) Bellamy Brothers, 4 p.m. Saturday. Hootie & the Blowfish, 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Josh Turner, 4 p.m. Sunday. Montgomery Gentry, 7:30 p.m. Sunday Information: 752-9194 or www.flstrawberryfestival.com
[Last modified March 8, 2007, 07:38:19]
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