Jaxon Finch, 7, couldn’t wait for a spoon to dig into that strawberry shortcake Saturday, May 24, at the annual St. Stephen’s Strawberry Festival in Heathsville. The popular arts, crafts, food and music event has been held in some form for more than 140 years. The festival drew over 7,000 people. Folks consumed over 1,500 homemade strawberry shortcakes. Hundreds of children had their faces painted, and many participated in a scavenger hunt or listened to strawberry-themed stories. Volunteers at the fresh strawberry stand said 1,100 quarts of strawberries were sold in less than three hours. Shoppers browsed oyster art and purchased the ABCs of Crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay at one of the over 100 vendor booths. “It was wonderful to welcome so many people and we are thankful to be able to give back to the community in this way,” said festival organizer Ellen Kirby. Proceeds from the St. Stephen’s events fund outreach donations to local nonprofits and charitable organizations. Photo by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
