23^rd Annual Strawberry Festival in Review

By: Suzanne Clemente, Event Coordinator

Wow! What a weekend!  The weather was perfect, the show was sold-out, vendors were stoked with anticipation of a successful event and the berries were ripe for the picking!  We could not have asked for a better weekend.

The success of the event lies largely in part because of YOU; YOU our volunteers, YOU our sponsors and YOU who came out to the event.  Roughly 32,000 people came out over the two-day event and exhibitors, vendors and visitors alike had a great time.

THANK YOU to all our Strawberry Festival Volunteers!!

 Thank you to the gate sponsors: Chronicle,

SunTrust, Hernando Pasco Hospice & Superior Bank.

Thank you to our Flat Sales Sponsor; Capital City Bank!

Thank you to our Partnership Sponsors: Bright House Networks,

Citrus County Chronicle, CenturyLink, Florida Lottery, Publix Supermarket, Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center, FDS Disposal, Inc., Metro PCS,

Williams McCranie Wardlow & Cash PA, Job Site Services

St. Petersburg Times, Suncoast Schools Credit Union, Nick Nicholas Ford, Brannen Banks of Florida, Inc., Childhood Development Services & Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative.

Friends of the Festival: Citrus Mining & Timber, Inc.

Thank you to the Princess Pageant Sponsors: Super WAL-MART, Mom's Heavenly Chocolate, Dr. David & Linda Powers, Pizza Hut in Inverness and Arnold A. Virgilio Insurance & Retirement Planning.  Also to the judges and the VFW Post #4337 Color Guard for performing the festival's opening ceremony.

A Special THANK YOU to the Floral City Fire Department, Citrus County Parks & Recreation, Citrus County School Board, Citrus County Sheriff's Office, Citrus County Board of County Commissioners, Como RV Truck & Auto Sales, Carey's RV Sales, Nature Coast Young Marines, Corrections Corporation of America/Citrus County Detention Facility, Brannen Banks/Floral City Branch, Ferris Groves, The Citrus Couny Fairgrounds, Kiwanis Club of Inverness, Inverness Sertoma and Hospice of Citrus County.

And saving the best for last... thank you to those "Weekend Warriors" who spent at least two days at the event donating their time; Vic Clemente and Mike Fitzpatrick (these people were out all FOUR days and the event would not have gone on without them), Leanne Hadsell, Trina & John Murphy, Charlynn Callihan, Joe Foster, Deborah Kamlot, Pete Burrell, Mickey Burns, Chet White, Gerry Mulligan, Joe & Teresa Bell and Ranee Jackson.

Thank you to our dedicated staff, Directors & Ambassadors which came out and helped make this event the success that it was. Awesome job!