CRESTVIEW — Turnout was strong for Crestview’s second annual Strawberry Festival on Saturday.
The event, which was held April 28 on Woodruff Avenue between Main Street and Wilson Street in downtown Crestview, saw a steady flow of people throughout the morning. The weather was perfect for a festival, with clear, blue skies and temperatures hovering just under 80 degrees.
“We have the best turnout that we could ask for,” Sandra Wilson, Main Street Crestview Association program manager, said. “Everybody seems to be super happy.”
The festival featured more than 30 craft vendors, live music and of course, strawberries. Some of the crafts on display included artwork, woodworked items, soaps, jewelry, purses and food items like honey and cupcakes. The one thing they all had in common: They were all handmade.
Most of the vendors were from around the Crestview area, but there were also vendors set up from Alabama and as far away as Michigan.
Dan Wright, an author traveling the country to promote his series of children’s books, is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. His books are targeted at young boys to encourage them to get into reading. He has been on the road for four weeks and has made stops all around the south, including the Strawberry Festival.
“It’s a great festival, it seems like everybody came out to support it,” Wright said. “It’s been awesome. I really appreciate everybody stopping by the booth, asking questions and buying lots of books.”
Larry Hunter, who is from Crestview, came to the festival to sell his handmade cedar products.
“I’ve got cedar chests, cedar jewelry boxes, cedar birdhouses, cedar everything that you can think of, all made out of aromatic red cedar,” Hunter said.
Hunter was pleasantly surprised by the turnout, saying he was told to expect around 3,700 people to show up over the course of the festival, which ran from 9 am til 3 pm.
Last year’s Strawberry Festival, the inaugural event, was a much smaller affair. This year’s event met the demand for a downtown springtime festival.
“We didn’t have anything in Crestview in the spring after the Triple B, so we wanted to bring something in,” Wilson said.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Strawberry Festival highlights local craft vendors