Nothing sweeter than a strawberry on a warm spring day

KENT — No one can refuse a juicy scoop of strawberries on a sizzling Saturday afternoon, especially when it is cooled with some vanilla ice cream. Certainly the children outside the First Congregational Church on June 14 could not move three steps away from their bowls full of chocolate-coated strawberries, shortcake and ice cream. This year’s Strawberry Festival returned for a fourth year, sponsored by the First Congregational Church. A bounce house set up on the church lawn and a face-painting booth distracted the children from the strawberries, but only for a while. Brook Kallstrom and Nick Lindabury, who were in charge of face painting, could draw animals only until the children left for a second bowl of strawberry ice cream.The strawberries sold were from the Ellsworth Hill Orchard and Berry Farm LLC in Sharon. The farm harvests berries, peaches, apples and, in autumn, pumpkins.According to one of the volunteers, Nancy Preston, the festival is not only delicious, but also “very traditional.” It began sometime in the 1950s or 1960s, and Preston helped revive the tradition four years ago to “support the Fellowship Fund, which is used for the church.” Even the types of strawberry desserts were copied from the old festival.Among the volunteer church members was Mary Ellen Nelson, who was one of the original participants of the festival in its earlier incarnation.