Strawberry Festival Until 7 p.m. Tonight

The banner has been waving over Orange Center Road for more than a week, but what, some may ask, is the Strawberry Festival?

This is an annual fund-raising event for the Orange Congregational Church on the Town Green. The committee has been working tirelessly for months with regular planning meetings and networking to try and make it the best festival ever.

Preparations began last week with strawberry selection, picking and washing and all day on Friday, about eight women (at a time) worked until their fingers were pink with strawberry juice from slicing, mixing and baking pounds and pounds of strawberries into 150 pies and preparing the berries for the strawberry shortcake in the kitchen at St. Barbara’s Greek Orthodox Church.

Larger, perfect berries were set aside to dip in chocolate and be sold at the festival.

The festival begins at 10 a.m. on the Town Green and runs through to 7 p.m.

People in the know either ordered their pies in advance or know to arrive early before they are all gone. Each one costs $10.

Desserts are not all that will be offered here. Hot dogs and hamburgers, sausage and peppers and steak and cheese sandwiches also are on the menu.

The popular strawberry shortcake is a “must have” and the strawberries and ice cream is a nice way to stay cool on a pleasant day.

“The Festival has something for everyone,” said co-chairman Marie Gesler. “There are age appropriate activities for the children. Al DeCant will be entertaining at 11:30 a.m. and there will be hay rides for the kids in the afternoon. A band will play from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. We’re very excited about the 50 fine art and craft vendors who’ll be there.”

This is the major fund-raiser for the church and all money goes into the general fund for anything the church needs, including repairs to the building and parsonage.

Gesler said the parents of her co-chairman Terry Wachter, are members of St. Barbara’s, which is why they had permission to use that kitchen for the preparations.

“It’s a delight having this facility available for our use,” she said. “It’s a nice cooperation between the two churches.”