Strawberry Festival and county fair returns to Mattituck
June is about to get berry, berry sweet as the 67th annual Strawberry Festival and Country Fair comes to Mattituck this weekend. Sponsored by the Mattituck Lions Club, the five-day event offers everything from contests to homemade strawberry treats to live entertainment.
“The North Fork is largely a farming community and strawberries were part of the local crop grown here. In fact, it still is,” says festival chairman Mike O’Donnell. “This is an event where the community comes together with the Lions Club to show off some local culture.”
In addition to the traditional carnival rides, midway games and food trucks, the Strawberry Festival offers a variety of activities with small town charm.
HULLING NIGHT
The festival begins with a community event on Wednesday called Hulling Night where local volunteers gather to help the Lions Club “hull” thousands of strawberries, i.e. remove the center pith and green sepals from the berries. This is in preparation for the homemade strawberry treats the Lions sell including strawberry shortcake, chocolate covered strawberries, nonalcoholic strawberry daiquiris, strawberry pies and strawberry cookies.
“It’s a lot of hard work, but it is very rewarding and the community has been super supportive over the years,” says Adam West, Lions Club’s third vice president. “All ages are welcome, you just need to be able to use the hulling straws.”
TALENT SHOW
A new element this year is the addition of the “North Fork’s Got Talent” show held on Thursday. There will be two age groups, 15 and under from 6 to 7 p.m. and 16 and older from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., judged by a local celebrity panel including bestselling author Regina Calcaterra and Grammy-award winning children’s recording artist Brady Rymer.
“We are looking for family-friendly entertainment whether that be comedy, music, dance or magic,” says Rob Nine, talent show committee chair. “What we are interested in is finding the hidden talents out there on Long Island.”
STRAWBERRY QUEEN CROWNING
Female sophomore or junior high school students from the Town of Southold can compete for the title of Strawberry Queen, which will be announced on Saturday at 4 p.m.
“The applicants are first interviewed by three judges from the Smithtown Guide Dog Foundation and are judged on poise, achievements, involvement in community and high school, and their short essay,” says Scott Czujko, Strawberry Queen contest chairman. “Three judges choose five applicants to go onto the next stage of the process. This is where the Lions Club members and their guests get to meet and interview the applicants in a formal setting. The candidates also have to answer questions from the audience in an on-the-spot situation. The members then cast a ballot for whom they think should be the next Strawberry Queen.”
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE-EATING CONTEST
Get ready to witness a sight of epic proportions as the Major League Eating organization hosts a strawberry showdown where the reigning strawberry shortcake-eating champion and No. 2-ranked competitive eater in the world, Geoffrey Esper, will go to battle with the No. 6-ranked competitive eater in the world, Nick Wehry among others in the Strawberry Shortcake Eating Contest on Saturday at 5 p.m. The goal is to eat as many strawberry shortcakes as you can in eight minutes.
“The USDA estimates that the average American eats 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries each year, while Esper eats more than five times that in just eight minutes,” says Major League eating president Rich Shea. “Strawberry shortcake is an extremely difficult discipline as many eaters are distracted from the competition by the delicious flavor.”
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT & MORE
On the stage, catch local bands Aquacherry (Friday), Points East (Saturday) and Dancefloor NY (Saturday) perform or watch animal handler Nature Nick and comedic juggler/balloon artist Jester Jim (both Sunday).
Go shopping at the arts and crafts marketplace made up of over 50 local vendors which includes henna tattoos, clothing, Greenport Jerky, lavender products, face painting and more. A professional fireworks display will be held on Thursday at 9:30 p.m., Friday at 10 p.m. and Saturday at 10:15 p.m.
All proceeds from the festival get circulated back into the community through the Lions Club’s local charities including St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Peconic Bay Medical Center, Long Island Lions’ Eye Bank, the Smithtown Guide Dog Foundation, East End Hospice, Eastern LI Hospital and the Joslyn Center for Juvenile Diabetes.
MATTITUCK LIONS CLUB'S 67th ANNUAL STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL & COUNTRY FAIR
The event is held 5 to 10 p.m. June 15 and 16; 5 to 11 p.m. June 17; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. June 18 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 19 (Father’s Day); 1175 Route 48, Mattituck
ADMISSION June 15: Free, June 16: $5 per person, June 17-18: $10 per person and June 19: $10 per person (fathers are free with 1 paid child). All kids under 5 are free each day.
David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.
