Page 6 - June 2020 Issue.indd

An Ode to the Strawberry

by Chad Dean

Like nearly everything else in the Age

of the Coronavirus, May was just not
the same this year.

Say what you will about the thoroughbred horse racing Triple
Crown, the Indianapolis 500, the NASCAR All-Star Race,
and other events the month annually features. Each has its
merits, as do proms, graduations, weddings, and more, but
for those privileged enough to grow up in Caroline County,
anticipation builds weeks in advance looking forward to the
Ridgely Strawberry Festival. A local tradition since 1980, the Strawberry Blonde

all-day affair pays homage to the golden age of the town as its
prosperity and notoriety peaked about one hundred years ago.
Using newly-introduced refrigerated railroad cars, area grow- A Distinctive Salon
ers were able to ship their springtime produce throughout the
Eastern Seaboard. An insatiable demand for the “Dream City” Cuts -Color
commodity in metropolises of the Northeast put Ridgely on
the map and earned the community the nickname of The
Strawberry Capital. Perms - Highlighting

For a variety of reasons, this commercial success and the nota-

bility that came with it was fl eeting. The railroad companies Manicure - Pedicure
that had once carried the strawberries around the Mid-Atlantic
stopped offering passenger service to and from Ridgely in 1949;

commercial freight operations through town were discontin-
ued completely by 1976. That could have been the end of the 410-479-5131

story, but city fathers refused to let it happen.
105 W. Bell St., Ridgely
Enter the Ridgely Lions Club, long established as the civic Hours: Mon. 10-4; Tues. & Wed. 9-7

organization of record in town. The group decided to create a Thurs. & Fri. 9-6; Sat. 9-12
festive tribute to the momentarily glorious past of the munici-
pality that many members have called home for their entire WALK-INS
lives, growing up in the shadows of the Victorian-style homes WELCOME
and traveling the wide main street that silently vouch for this
history. Possibly inspired by national and county bicenten- Proprieter & Stylist: Kelly Hayman
nial events that were well-received in the 1970s, and perhaps Stylists: Megan Breeding, Cari Fisher, Megan Lanning
conceived merely as a new fundraiser for the numerous philan- Spray Tan Tech: Hope Lane
thropies of the club, the Strawberry Festival started small in
1980. Attendees recall that there was little more than strawberry classic car entries, fire trucks, marching bands, and honored

dishes, a beer truck, a memorabilia auction, and the crowning guests of decades past as if the spectacle happened yesterday.
of a Strawberry Queen that year, but the attraction has grown

exponentially ever since. Though parades are an excellent way to publicize what towns
are most proud of, the one through Ridgely only formally kicks

Fond memories flowed freely as county residents refl ected on off the annual celebration. The procession may last an hour

the Memorial Day weekend institution during interviews fl esh- if that, but the actual Strawberry Festival itself continues all
ing out the story for this month’s Caroline Review column. Th e afternoon. While the list of attractions has evolved over the

late morning parade leading to the festival grounds at Martin years, there are several that stick out as exciting, hilarious, or
Sutton Memorial Park was a common leadoff topic. Many both. Once a military exhibition involving a helicopter drop-
contributors were able to vividly describe the heat and the ping multi-colored simulated smoke bombs beyond the little
joviality as their clubs and little league teams walked the route league outfield while uniformed personnel descended from

surrounded by throngs of spectators crowding both sides of above was presented to great fanfare; several other years civil-
Central Avenue. Still others recounted floats, horseback riders, ian skydivers from the nearby Pelican Airport landed on site

6