The Third Annual Alderson Strawberry Festival will take place Saturday, May 26th from 9am to 5pm in the center of town on both the Greenbrier and Monroe County sides.  Sponsored by Alderson Main Street, coordinated by Mystik Miller, and featuring the freshest of strawberries from Sunset Berry Farm, this event has become hugely popular.

For those who like to get an early start or vendors who need fuel for the day, there will be a pancake breakfast at the Alderson Volunteer Fire Department from 7:30am to 10:30am. This fundraiser for the fire department is sure to include strawberry syrup!

The day will include live music by Emmalea Deal from 9am to 12pm, Collusion (featuring Don Steck, Fred Pritchard, Tom Hughes, Robin Wright and Doug Blankenship) from 12:30pm to 3pm, and the Goodson Boys will be the finale, starting at 3pm. There will be a variety of food: Stuart’s Smokehouse, smoked meats and BBQ, kettle corn, strawberry shortcake, strawberry ice cream (and other ice cream flavors), strawberry lemonade, and of course real strawberries from local Sunset Berry Farm, winner of last year’s Sweetest Berry in West Virginia contest.

A cornhole competition will start at 10:30am and a dessert contest (please submit your entry by 11am to the Methodist Church). Dessert entries will be auctioned at noon! Ross Hanna Studios will be hosting paint events in the Alderson Train Depot. There will be a raffle of gift cards to local shops and eateries valued over $100 and raffle tickets will be available for purchase throughout the day. Yard sales will be held throughout the town and the Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church will host its annual flea market.

Kids activities will be centered at the Visitors Center and include unicorn rides provided by the WV Renaissance Festival! There will also be a scavenger hunt they can participate in for a prize.

Several local nonprofits will be sharing their work and hosting activities. There will also be a large variety of shopping including locally created art and locally sourced food products. Vendors will be spread from the Historic 1896 C&O Train Depot across the Alderson Memorial Bridge (pedestrian) to the Visitors Center. Walk the town and explore!

The Strawberry Festival wants to thank our main partner sponsors Sunset Berry Farm and Rainelle Medical Center, whose generous support makes these activities possible. A special thanks to our gold sponsors, Stuart’s Smokehouse and Greenbrier River Campground, which round out the weekend with local food and recreation and to our silver sponsor, the Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation, which works hard to support and build community in the region.

Here is a link to the facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/166756880692210/

Mayor Travis Copenhaver said, “We may just be finishing what has seemed like the longest winter in memory but those strawberries have been snug in their high tunnels and are ready to ripen.  Please join all of Alderson to celebrate the sweetness of summer.”

– HashtagWV 101. May 2018.