Afton church’s annual strawberry fest is June 21

Members of one church in Afton will be munching their way through hundreds of strawberries this weekend — and it’s the 126th time they’ve done it.

The Memorial Lutheran Church in Afton, which sits at the top of the hill on South Afton Boulevard as County Road 18 drops into the Old Village and overlooks the St. Croix River, will be celebrating its 126th strawberry festival this Saturday, an occasion which has been celebrated annually since the church’s beginnings in 1882.

“I think we serve about 600 people; it’s a pretty good turnout,” said pastor Gregory Isaacson.

A cold ham dinner, potato salad, bake sale, children’s face painting and musical entertainment by the Zumbro Bluegrass Band will be on hand, not to mention the all-you-can-eat strawberries.

“It follows the Swedish tradition of celebrating summer fest,” explained Isaacson.

“People start calling about it at the start of June; they have been coming every year for a number of years and it’s something they look forward to.”

The “Berry Good Time” event will be held from 4-7 p.m. this Saturday, June 21, and tickets are available on the door for $12.

Tags: community, strawberry, afton, lutheran, festival