Strawberry Festival returns to Mattituck for 70th year

The 70th Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Festival will kick off another North Fork summer from June 11 to 15 at Strawberry Fields Fairgrounds in Mattituck. This is the Lions’ main fundraiser for the year, and it has raised more than $1 million for local and national causes in its seven decades. 

“Every dollar we make is given right back to either the local community or we give back to American Cancer Society,” said festival chairman David Dominy. “We give away all our money to some form of charity, whether that is helping people who are hungry, helping in a national disaster environment or also helping out local families.”

According to its website, the idea for the festival came out of a visit to a similar event in Florida. The first festival took place a little more than three years after the Lions Club’s founding and was held on the third Saturday of June for Father’s Day weekend. For a total of six hours, Ed Buchak, the first festival chairman and fellow club members entertained about 1,000 guests. 

“The community members rally around the festival, from the folks who come out on Wednesday to night help us hull the strawberries to people who are friends and family of the members who are volunteering their time from over the course of those five days,” said Dan Kelleher, media and publicity director for the Mattituck Lions Club. “I think that makes it a little bit unique in terms of some of the other festivals that are out there, that the community really rallies behind it.”

This year’s event opens with “Hulling Night” on Wednesday, June 11, when locals gather to remove the stems and leaves from nearly 100,000 berries to be used in the shortcake, virgin daiquiris and other treats available at the festival. There will also be live music and a talent show.

“It’s something that has been around for quite some time, and it’s got this sort of generational appeal, in that you have folks who were doing that when they were little kids, and now they’re coming back with their own children, [as well as] folks who are there with their grandchildren who have been doing it for a long time,” said Mr. Kelleher. “Talent show acts are getting an opportunity to be on stage in front of the community, because it’s primarily local folks who are coming that Wednesday night. It’s a fun kickoff, and it’s a soft start to what obviously becomes a super busy weekend.”

The highlights of the festival — the naming of the Strawberry Queen and the shortcake-eating contest — are both on Saturday, June 14. 

The queen is chosen from among a pool of competing Southold high school sophomores and juniors. This year, the five contestants are Brooke Walling, Madison Tomaszewski, Faith Welch, Morgan Dunne and Laurel Richards.

The reigning World Strawberry Shortcake Eating champion, Geoff Esper, plans to compete again this year and hopes to break his record of 23.75 pounds, set last year.

In addition to all the strawberry-related foodstuffs, the fairway will once again be chock full of rides and attractions, including a new full-size roller coaster for adults. Thursday, Friday and Saturday will wrap up with fireworks.

For the second year, the festival will offer “Memories for Morgan” by opening the venue one hour early on Thursday for children with special needs.

“This is in honor of Morgan West, who passed with cancer as a child,” said Mr. Dominy. “We bring in about 25 or 30 special needs kids from the local schools out here — Mattituck, Greenport, Southold. They’ll come in and have about an hour to just kind of go anywhere they want in the festival without any large crowds. And we’ll just kind of spoil them for a little bit.”

For Father’s Day, the festival’s final day, dads get in free with a paid child’s admission. Mr. Kelleher said this was by far his favorite part of the festival. “I have three boys, so it’s cool to be there and see everyone enjoying this experience, and particularly for the Lions members who are spending their Father’s Day running this festival.”

For more information, visit mattituckstrawberryfestival.com.