TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

New Additions Add Fun To Festival

ADVERTISEMENT

By BOB ROSS

Special Sections correspondent

Published: February 17, 2009

When you think of the Florida Strawberry Festival, you think of tradition and taste. After all, the annual event began in 1930, and the delicious strawberry crops go back further than that.

Fairgoers have come to rely on the yummy shortcake, the spectacular midway, top entertainers and dazzling exhibits.

All that good stuff returns for 2009.

But there's always room for a little something new. Or, a couple of big new somethings.

"It's called the Drop Zone," says Charles Panacek, mentioning one of the new rides that's sure to draw long lines of daredevils. "The name pretty well describes it. It's a 120-foot tower." Yes, kids, you definitely will get that sinking feeling for however long it takes to fall that far. We didn't ask how they stop the plunge without mashing folks — that's for the riders to find out.

Panacek is president of Belle City Amusements Inc., the company that takes over management of the Strawberry Festival midway this year. "This is our 61st year in the amusement business," he notes.

"We've had rides here at the festival and around most of the country."
So what else is new on his turf? How about the Giant Wheel? Again, the name says it. "It's 100 feet high," says Panacek. "It's the tallest traveling wheel in the world."

That gives you a pretty good view of the fairgrounds, right? He laughs. "You can just about see the whole county."

For those who prefer more down-to-earth charms, the festival's general manager Paul Davis promises plenty of fresh fun for all.

"We are going to have a strawberry wedding at the fairground," he says. "We took written requests and the women in our office chose this young couple." So if you're there on Saturday, [Feb. 28] you might see your very first strawberry nuptials. Sounds sweet.

For the more action oriented, Davis adds, "We have brought in the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show. I understand it's a very exciting, hard-charging exhibition."

The lumberjack show is at 11 a.m. and 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Something old is new again this year.
"The Strawberry tent was brought back by popular demand," Davis explains. The big tent was once a main entertainment venue, before the spacious new open-air arena was built.

"We had many requests from people so now it's back. We have 20 new vendors and the Church of God strawberry shortcake booth in there. And different entertainers will be giving free shows all day."

Among the entertainers that will perform daily in the Cool Whip Strawberry tent are Southern Star Bluegrass Band and Jason Young.

Other new touches include a larger livestock area.

"We moved it to the other side of the grounds. That took a lot of work but it's great for the kids who spend 10 or 11 months raising hogs, rabbits and steers. It's a much larger area for them."

And when they relocated the livestock facility, "We had room to expand our kiddie ride area, which has become really popular. It's great for families with strollers."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT