Good, old-fashioned strawbery fest this Sunday

By Laurie Gordon
STILLWATER — It's a hurry-up-and-rush world these days. How about sitting down and relaxing for a few minutes and enjoying a good, old-fashioned strawberry festival? Come to the hamlet of Stillwater to the Academy Building/Historical Museum this Sunday, June 24, from noon to three for a family friendly, throwback-in-time happening.
The Strawberry Festival will feature old time music on a hand-cranked, century-old Victrola, tours of the museum and the event's renowned, home-made strawberry shortcake with fresh picked berries, whipped cream and ice cream.
Said Rob Jacoby, the Historical Society of Stillwater Township's treasurer, “The day before the festival a group of us gather at the Sussex County Strawberry Farm on Rt 206 in Andover to pick the strawberries. The pickers are all volunteers from the Historical Society and include Deborah Drumm, Paul Cousey, Michelle Adamski, Peter, Stacy and Lily Harvey, and myself.”
He added, “The Festival brings lots of people from the town together in a relaxed atmosphere for conversation, a bit of history, and delicious, homemade strawberry shortcake.”
Michelle Adamski and Stacey Harvey are the bakers for the day.
Said Drumm, the society's president, “We spend so much time rushing around for a thousand important and unimportant tasks that we often neglect to sit still for even five minutes and just relax. The farming life in 19th century Stillwater was hard work, but it moved at a more deliberate, slower pace that allowed for reflection, conversation, and appreciation of one's surroundings. The Strawberry Festival seeks to recreate, for a few moments at least, those older values.”
She added, “Our elders possess an incredible amount of knowledge about the past, and if we do not tap into that knowledge and wisdom, our collective memory is the poorer for it. The Strawberry Festival gives young people a chance to ask questions about Stillwater's 'Olden Times,' prompted by the displays of farm implements, Native American artifacts, and old time clothing and furniture that are contained in the Society Museum.”
Drumm said that her number one goal as president is to increase membership.
“We are hoping to encourage anyone with an interest in history, please stop by and join the fun. It feels really good to work toward common goals,” Drumm said. “We don’t put any demands on anyone and really do have a good time. We are planning a classical reed ensemble concert on September 29th and will have our 13th Annual Fall Festival on October 13th.”
The Historical Society of Stillwater Township is a community organization dedicated to preserving the links to our common past, even if most of us were not born here. The museum is open most Sundays in the summer from 2:00-4:00 pm. All visitors are welcome.
It's hard to keep an event going for a long time, but this year will be The Strawberry Festival's 27th edition. It will be held from noon to three on Sunday at 900 Main Street in Stillwater. The event is free of charge and open to the public. Strawberry Shortcake will be sold for $5 with proceeds benefiting the Historical Society.