Published: June 13, 2007 12:53 pm    PrintThis  

Despite threat of bad weather, hundreds turn out for Topsfield Strawberry Festival

As hundreds of eager strawberry lovers converged on Topsfield’s Town Common, Brigitte O’Malley and her team of volunteers had already put in long hours preparing for their arrival.

A month before the Strawberry Festival, she put in a lengthy order with the Danvers Costco: 268 quarts of strawberries, 100 pounds of hot dogs, 2 gallons of mustard and other cookout necessities in massive quantities.

And as attendees enjoyed strawberry shortcake and other summertime eats, they might not have realized the annual Topsfield event actually starts the night before, on Friday, when the volunteers get together to cut biscuits and hull strawberries.

Then the morning of the festival, Martha Liptak of Lantern Hill Catering sets up in the Emerson Center kitchen, whipping 30 gallon jugs of cream and powdered sugar into a fresh concoction.

Dedicated volunteers stood behind a long line of tables in the Emerson Center as the Strawberry Festival officially began at 10 a.m. Saturday. The tables were draped in red, while many workers wore the signature color of the day. They busily and happily scooped strawberries and plopped whipped cream for the appreciative guests.

O’Malley, wearing a white T-shirt adorned with the bright red berry, seemed to be the busiest of them all. She bustled through the crowd, greeting friends, instructing volunteers and often carrying big vats of strawberries or cream.

The festival is run by volunteers and, aside from running out of food, O’Malley worries only that the number of volunteers will continue to dwindle.

“We don’t ever want to see this go away,” said O'Malley, who has lived in town for 14 years.

Despite the lengthy hours, being a part of the Strawberry Festival has a draw for O'Malley. She’s been in her current position for at least five years.

“It’s a lot of work and you dread it,” she said, “but when you see everyone come together as a community, it’s worth it.”

Saturday’s gray skies and threat of showers didn’t keep the festival faithful away as attendees enjoyed live music, unique crafts, delicious eats and family fun.

But, as always, the main attraction was the strawberry shortcake. The gooey delight kept people at the festival lined up until almost 3 p.m., when the delicacies ran out.

At $3.50 each, all the strawberry shortcakes sold went to support the Topsfield Historical Society.

But the good cause was hardly the first thing on anyone’s mind. Most people seemed to be thinking with their tantalized taste buds.

Topsfield resident Jeanne Kinhan has been attending the festival for about 30 years, and the strawberry shortcake with fresh whipped cream never disappoints.

“It’s absolutely delicious,” she said, “as usual.”