The Baldwin County Strawberry Festival began 21 years ago as a result of a united effort between the Association of Retarded Citizens of Baldwin County (ARCBC) and the Loxley Elementary School. It has grown from a few crafters and food vendors, to over 160 arts and craft exhibitors, a dozen different food vendors, an exciting carnival, wonderful children's games, antique auto show, animal riding and petting exhibits and live music. Of course, strawberry shortcake is still king!
In 1996, the festival was moved from the first Saturday in May to the present date of the second weekend in April. The festival was originally held in downtown Loxley, but was moved to it's present location at the Loxley Municipal Park in 1999. This location has allowed the festival to expand to include many more activities that had been limited by the other sites. It also permitted the festival to expand to a two day event (Saturday & Sunday).
The 2007 festival was a record breaker with over 80,000 people in attendance over the two day period. The festival raised approximately $40,000 for its two beneficiaries. The festival has become one of the largest and is considered by many as one of the best organized festivals in the area
In addition to the festival, the Little Miss Strawberry Beauty Pageant is held in March. The pageant is open to second grade girls attending Baldwin County public or private schools. The participants are judged on poise, appearance, and personality by a panel of three qualified adjudicators.
Proceeds from the festival have helped each organization with it's daily operations. Loxley Elementary School has used their funds to purchase computers for their classroom and library, to air condition their multi-purpose building, and to upgrade their playground equipment. The Association for Retarded Citizens of Baldwin County (ARCBC) has used it's funds to open new residential homes and to purchase vans used at these homes. The festival has been a great help to both organizations!
