Owego’s Strawberry Fest has deep roots after 40 years, but never started with a strawberry

OWEGO (WBNG) -- If one can believe it, the very origin of Owego’s beloved Strawberry Festival did not actually begin with the red seeded fruit.

“We were looking for a way to promote Owego, so we did sort of a sidewalk sale” said Starberry Fest Founder & Organizer Pat Hansen.

Hansen said they looked to other communities for more ideas on how they could raise money.

“Other people had potato fests and blueberry fests,” said Hansen. “We looked around, and we had strawberries. We had four strawberry farms way back when in 1981 when it started”.

However, as vibrant and colorful the festival is today, the roots go much deeper than the succulent treat.

“I owned a business, and we were all young upstarts trying to make Owego better,” she said. “We were going through a recession, and a lot of the buildings were in disrepair, so we were trying to bring Owego back to life for a little bit.”

Hansen said the committee thought of the many strawberry farms surrounding the area, and went from there with their planning process.

“So we said let’s have a strawberry theme, and then it grew every year and got bigger and bigger and bigger this is the 40th year,” she said. “It kind of took on a life of its own, and people like strawberries so that’s what happened.”

In its 40th year, the Owego Strawberry Festival will offer over 100 vendors, and over 20 bands. For more information regarding the event click here.