“Let me take you down, cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields. Nothing is real, and nothing to get hung about. Strawberry Fields forever.”
The village green in Lemont was Pennsylvania’s own version of Strawberry Fields on Saturday evening, as the 34th annual Strawberry Festival took over town.
The park transformed from an open field of grass to a music-filled strawberry paradise. There was strawberry ice cream, strawberry shortcake, and other locally made strawberry confections for the festival-goers to enjoy.
The festival had a kid-friendly atmosphere, with pony rides, train rides, and more for the children to enjoy. The Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania, which is based in a Pike Street office just around the corner, set up a tent for kids to paint during the event.
Richard Bundro came out to the festival with his daughter, and she showed off her artistic talent.
“She painted a heart for my wife, who isn’t here today,” he says.
Bundro wasn’t planning on attending the festival, but friends convinced him to spend a few hours in Lemont, and he didn’t regret listening to them.
“My friends brought me out here today,” he says. “They suggested we came out today and my daughter seems to be having a really great time, so I’m glad I listened.”
One of those friends is Alycia Demayo, who moved to State College last year. Demayo says the Strawberry Festival is one of the first community events she attended.
“We had just moved to the area and I read about it and saw it involved strawberries, so we came,” she says.
Her children loved it so much that they couldn’t wait to go to the festival again this year. The family was planning on going out of town this weekend, but when they noticed the festival was taking place, they canceled their trip.
“As somebody with small children who’s new to the area, it’s very important to have community gatherings like this,” Demayo says. “It was a pleasant surprise when we moved here. People seem to like to stay at their houses, so it’s great to have events like this to get out and meet people. “
She was also pleased to see the town of Lemont filled with life during the festival, which had a large turnout on Saturday.
“I think it’s great to bring people into the community of Lemont,” she says. “It’s pretty to drive through and a lot of people decide to drive through town because of that, but they don’t get to actually meet the community.”
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