“I think it’s pretty awesome that such a small town has a blow-out like this.”
That was Milford resident Todd Coulter’s opinion of the 51st Annual Strawberry Festival held Saturday in downtown Leonard.
This was Coulter’s first time attending the festival and he said it definitely won’t be the last for he and his wife, Maria.
Festival goers came from all over this past weekend to enjoy Leonard’s down-home hospitality.
This reporter talked to people from Goodrich, Clinton Township, Roseville, Dryden, Romeo, Oxford, Lake Orion, Oakland Township, Troy, Clarkston, Utica, Lapeer, Metamora and Imlay City, to name but a few.
But whereever they hailed from, it seemed everyone had something positive to say about the fun-filled festival.
“This place is full of candy,” remarked a smiling 6?-year-old Christian Szczepanski
“I like watching the kids have fun and giving them what they want,” said Rachel Sullivan, of Attica, who brought her 4-year-old son, Cooper.
Cooper and his 5-year-old friend, Max Gartle, also from Attica, agreed that seeing “the fire trucks” were their favorite part of the festival.
“The jelly was awesome,” said Jason Carlock, of Roseville, who served as a judge in the annual strawberry bake-off competition.
Nine-year-old Anna Spaseski, of Utica, said she’s been coming to the Strawberry Festival ever since she was born and her favorite part is the giant inflatable slide. “It’s fun,” she said whiel getting her face painted/
Canton resident Debbie Anderszon’s said her favorite part of the event is the street dance at the end. This was Anderson’s second festival. Her brother, David Anderson, lives in Addison.
Judging by the numbers, it appears strawberry sundaes were once again the real stars of the event.
The Addison Firefighters Association used 183 gallons of vanilla ice cream and 870 pounds of strawberries to dish out 2,209 sundaes between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Ice cream sales grossed approximately $4,600 and netted an estimated $2,000, according to Fire Chief George Spencer.
Firefighter Association President and Addison Firefighter Chris Coe said the money raised will be used to buy Christmas food and gift baskets for local needy families and help families displaced by home fires.
Spencer called the association the “charitable arm of the fire department.”
Although it was a fun festival for all, it was also a competitive festival for some.
The annual strawberry bake-off featured fierce, yet delicious, competition.
Bake-off Judge Chris Wald, of Attica, said the contest was “bigger than last year” and “tougher” to judge because there were “things I’ve never seen before” such as a “strawberry strudel pizza,” which was “very good.”
When asked if he felt any pressure while evaluating the taste treats, Bake-off Judge and Oakland County Commissioner Bill Patterson (R-Oxford) patted his stomach and said “only here.
“There were so darn many good ones,” Patterson said.
Of the 17 entrants, five adults and three youths placed in the bake-off.
Winning first place in the adult category with her “strawberry strudel pizza” was Ann Wolle.
“I win quite a bit,” she said proudly displaying her blue ribbon and first place prize, a bracelet.
Jodi Vermander took second place, Katrina Owens grabbed third, Lori Deehr won fourth and Lois Noakee finished fifth.
In the youth category, Samantha Anderson and Lauren Dunnigan took first place, Alyssa Rathburg won second and Sara Hoyt finished in third place.
The children’s bike decorating contest drew about 35 contestants.
Winning first place was 7?-year-old Joseph Regan, of Imlay City, who decorated his two-wheeler with loads of strawberry balloons.
Eight-year-old Kevin Pennart, of Leonard, took second place while Leonard resident Alissa Sellers, 7, finished third.
The festival’s annual parade also generated some competition.
Winning “Best Overall” entry was the Polly Ann Trail Management Council, which also took first place in the “Best Group” category.
In the post-1950 vehicle category, Oakland Township’s Thomas Strangway took first place with his 1965 fire truck,; Rochester Hills resident Michael Deehr won second with his 1955 Ford Fairlane T-bird; and John Papsdorf, of Oakland Township, finished third with his 1967 Check Marathon.
In the “Best Float” category, ITT won first place while the Miss Armada float took second.
Leonard resident Linda White took first place in the “Best Horse” category, while Cheryl Strobel, of Leonard, and Henry Gleisner, of Oxford, finished second and third.
In the “Best Group” category, The Dance Studio, Inc., of Romeo, took second place and Pontiac resident Tamara Foster finished third with her Pampered Chef entry.
Robin Ucinski, of Leonard, took first place in the “Best Tractor” category while the Stafford family adults and kids finished second and third.
Cidney Fritche, of Lakeville, won “Best Clown.”
Leonard Summer Festival Committee President Sandy Walendzik called the overall festival a “great success.”
“The weather couldn’t have been better. There was a great turnout.”
When all was said and done, Robert Zerwick, a Leonard resident who’s attended every Strawberry Festival since 1952, neatly summed up why the event is always so successful.
“It’s a pretty nice town with good people,” he said.