{strawberry memories}

This weekend, a little town in our county will once again be host to The Annual North Carolina Strawberry Festival. ....celebrating ripe, red, luscious sweet strawberries for the 77th consecutive year! Thoughts of the festival bring back fond and slightly amusing memories for Kevin and I. Although, at the time they weren't so fond....

Years ago, while in high school, I participated in the Strawberry Princess Pageant. As you may well know, in the south we have pageants that represent most anything....Azaleas, Dogwoods, Tobacco, Peanuts, Yams, and yes, even Fireants. That is, just to name a smidgen of the wonderful, albeit quirky southern royalty showcased. I could do an entire post on the subject alone, but I'll save that for another day!

So back to my story....I was running for the Miss NC Strawberry Princess and as participants, we were involved in all of the festivities for the weekend festival, including the Friday afternoon parade through the quaint little town. Each contestant was responsible for finding a convertible car and driver to drive them through the parade. Kevin had the prettiest midnight blue corvette, with T'tops. Not to mention, he was one fine hunk himself. (reverting to my 80's lingo, "smiles") Kevin was a year ahead of me in school, and although I knew him, we'd never said said two words to each other. For weeks, I perfected with much practice my "pageant wave," ...you know the one! :) I imagined myself on top of that gorgeous car, in my big, beautiful fuchsia pink gown with crinolines galore, being driven by that one good-looking, dark haired boy. After the parade, the contestants were scheduled to attend a dignitaries luncheon and I intended on asking Kevin to escort me to that as well.

I was intimidated by Kevin. My dad knew his dad well, and I begged Daddy to call and ask if Kevin would drive "his only, and most favorite daughter" in the parade. Daddy did, and Kevin agreed. However when the day arrived, it quickly lost it's sparkle and fell quite short of the fantasy I had envisioned. Kevin's ex-girlfriend decided to tag along, making the atmosphere awkward and tense. I knew there was no chance he would accompany me to the luncheon, I didn't even ask. To make matters worse, my then 11 year old brother wanted to ride in a vette, so he was allowed to ride in the parade with us. However, half way through the route, my brother felt the wind was too strong on him, and rolled my dress up in the window, which wasn't discovered until AFTER the parade and viewing the pictures taken.

.....I lost my quest for the crown! I didn't even place as a runner up. So home I went, without the guy, and without the crown. But the saga didn't end there.

Approximately eight years later, Kevin and I met again, did alot more talking than that first encounter. This time, I did get the guy, .....and he treats me like a QUEEN. Most of the time, anyway! "smiles"

Oh, and I still have my big pink dress, and he still has the vette, but neither is what you could say "functional." :)

Strawberry Recipes from a few of our local folks...

~Strawberry Supreme Heath Bar Cake~

1box Strawberry Supreme cake mix, 1 can of condensed milk, 1 (8 oz.) Cool Whip fat-free, 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix, 2 cups of fresh strawberries, 2 Heath bars, 1 cup milk

Prepare cake as directed. Bake in a 9x13 pan. Cool slightly. Stick holes in cake 1" apart, pour condensed milk over cake. Refrigerate overnight. Next day, puree 1 cup strawberries. Pour over cake. Sprinkle crushed Heath Bar over berries. Spread topping and refrigerate 4 hours before serving. {Topping} Prepare pudding mix using 1 cup of milk. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cake. Garnish with 1 crushed Heath bar and 1 cup sliced strawberries. (by J. Shaw)

~Death By Strawberries~

1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cup white syrup, 1 cup water, 3 tbs. cornstarch, 1 box strawberry Jello, 1 pie shell, lots of strawberries, 1 container of whipped cream

Combine first 4 ingredients. Heat to boiling and add box of Jello. Fill pie shell with strawberries. Pour sauce over berries and refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving. (by P. Skinner)

~Strawberry Crisp~

1 cup oatmeal (uncooked), 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 cups fresh strawberries (sliced)

Mix together oatmeal, flour and brown sugar. Add nuts. Cut in butter until crumbly. In separate bowl, mix strawberries and white sugar. Grease an 8 inch square pan. Spread half crumb mixture on bottom. Cover with strawberries. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream. (by a good friend of mine, R. Ward)

....Enjoy, Rhonda :)