Franklin resident Alexa Kappus feeds 1-year-old Clauson Kappus strawberry shortcake on the courthouse lawn during the 2021 Strawberries on the Square.
Daily Journal File Photo
After a week-long delay, a downtown Franklin staple will take place on Saturday — albeit at a different location.
Discover Downtown Franklin’s annual Strawberries on the Square traditionally takes place the weekend before Memorial Day. At the festival, in addition to the traditional strawberries, shortcakes and ice cream, there is an entire day of activities.
However, rain and storms were in the forecast for May 27, organizers rescheduled it to this Saturday. Strawberries on the Square will not take place on the courthouse square this year. Instead, it be a few blocks east at Youngs Creek Park and the DriverHubler.com Amphitheater.
The festival is also now paired with another annual event: the opening day of the Franklin Farmers Market — a first for Discover Downtown Franklin, which hosts both events. This decision was made because the volunteers needed for Strawberries at the Square were already going to be at the farmer’s market on Saturday, so it was easier to have the two events take place on the same day right next to each other, said Jessica Giles, Discover Downtown Franklin executive director.
Discover Downtown Franklin would also have had to go before county officials again to get permission to have the event on the square on Saturday. The organization had received permission to hold the event on the original date, but not on the new date. Organizers wanted to be conscious of everyone’s time, so they asked the city of Franklin about moving it to the amphitheater, Giles said.
“The city and the Franklin Parks Department have been super helpful and played a huge role in helping us get it to the amphitheater,” she said.
The schedule for Saturday remains mostly the same, despite the venue and date change. The strawberry shortcakes will be served a bit earlier than usual though, starting at 9 a.m. until they run out, Giles said.
For $5, people get strawberries, shortcake, ice cream with whipped topping and a bottle of water. The event is cash only.
At around 2 p.m., after the farmer’s market closes, a variety of food trucks will open at the amphitheater plaza. Also at 2 p.m., the Artcraft Theatre will host the first of two showings of the 1986 comedy film “Big Trouble in Little China.” The second showing will play at 7:30 p.m.
Cars will arrive at the amphitheater at 4 p.m. for the classic car cruise-in. The cruise-in will last until 8 p.m., organizers said.
The festival will end with the bluegrass sounds of Birch Creek, a central Indiana-based band with more than 20 years of performing experience. The show will go from 5 to 8 p.m. on the music stage.
Attendees should expect the same fresh strawberries the festival is known for when they come to the amphitheater Saturday morning. While the fruit was purchased from a chain grocery store in Franklin, the strawberries served at the festival are not connected to a recent recall of strawberries due to a disease outbreak, Giles said.
“The strawberries are fresh, and we spent six hours cutting and prepping them,” she said.
Once prepped, the strawberries were taken to Franklin Community High School to be frozen in the school’s freezer. They will be fresh for Saturday, Giles said.
Those wanting to attend Strawberries on the Square or the farmer’s market should be prepared for it to be busy downtown. However, there will be more parking available than in the past with the addition of the lots at the amphitheater and Youngs Creek Park, Giles said.
“We have quadrupled the amount of parking available,” she said.
Giles also encourages anyone who comes downtown Saturday to also visit and shop at downtown businesses. Additionally, those attending the Birch Creek performance should bring a blanket or lawn chairs because the amphitheater has lawn seating, she said.
