INDIANAPOLIS — A favorite Hoosier event will return to downtown Indianapolis after the pandemic forced a year's hiatus.
The Cathedral Women of Christ Church Cathedral will be back on Monument Circle Sept. 2 for the Strawberry Festival. The group hopes pushing the event, typically held in June, back to September, allows for more people to volunteer and more visitors to enjoy strawberry shortcake.
"We hope that our festival not only brings Indy together for our scratch-made shortcakes, but also provides much needed funds to area organizations who support our community," said Jennifer Manterfield, Strawberry Festival chair.
Visitors to the festival will have the chance to purchase homemade shortcakes topped with ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream. The festival also features live music.
The annual festival raises funds to benefit local, national and international nonprofit groups. Previously, the event has raised between $60,000 and $70,000 annually. The group says more than 95 percent of the proceeds go directly to outreach groups via project grants.
Grant recipients from past years include Exodus Refugee Immigration, Resources of Hope, Inc., Random Acts of Flowers Indianapolis, Joy's House, School on Wheels, TeenWorks, and Peace Learning Center. Click here to see a full list of recipients from the 2019 fundraiser.
Before the pandemic canceled the 2020 festival, it had been going on since 1965, when a parishioner suggested the fundraiser. In its first year, women baked 100 shortcakes from scratch. Recently, volunteers have baked 20,000 shortcakes for the festival.
This year's festival will be from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. or until they run out. Bulk orders will be available for pick-up at 8:30 a.m.
What other people are reading:
- Nurse urges public to support health care workers, get vaccinated
- Father of twins killed in South Carolina crash shares push for justice, hope for legacy project for his girls
- IPS making changes to COVID-19 safety protocols amid case surge
- President Biden praises Afghanistan airlift, defends departure from 'forever war'
- Louisiana man presumed dead after alligator attacked him inside his home