Fort Mill Strawberry Festival

This week's weather hasn't been the normal Carolina Blue skies, but that didn't seem to put a damper on the festivities at the annual South Carolina Strawberry Festival in Fort Mill, SC. Things were hopping when we arrived despite the looming dark clouds. They had vendors for local businesses showcasing their wares, any fried food you could imagine, music, rides and of course - strawberries (even fried strawberries!). Unfortunately we missed the strawberry shortcake eating contest - something my skinny hubby could have given many of the contestants a run for their money at, but caught several musical acts on the two stages. My favorite part was the funnel cake covered in real strawberries that the local girl's softball team was selling as a fundraiser.





The parking was either at the high school with transportation by a bus or parking in a field with about a half mile trek to the park. We opted for the walk, which I didn't mind, but we had the moby to carry E in which made navigating the bumpy grounds much easier.  I saw many strollers but the parents seemed to struggle as they pushed them around the festival - it's wasn't flat and was still damp from all the rain.

The festival is held at Walter Y. Elisha park, so the kids had a large playground to entertain themselves on as they took in the sights. Friday night they offered a $15 ticket for unlimited rides for kids, and there were several events leading up to the festival including a golf tournament, a strawberry pageant for Teen, Miss and Mrs contestants and a strawberry pick and flick (pick-your-own strawberries and a movie).

Overall, I'm not a lover of fair-like-festivals. That's just me. If you like fairs, festivals and strawberries, well then this is your ticket - and apparently it's many people's ticket because they broke the 2012 attendance record with over 55,000 attending this year.