Four-day extravaganza at Brandywine Hospital opens tonight
This berry special outfit was featured in the Strawberriest Kids Contest during the 2012 Strawberry Festival.
The 2013 Strawberry Festival, an annual, four-day extravaganza featuring fireworks, entertainment, music, rides, vendors, and international culinary options on the grounds of Brandywine Hospital, opens Thursday night at 5 p.m.
For over four decades, the Strawberry Festival has attracted over 28,000 visitors. This year’s event, presented by Peco and supported by First Niagra, will run from 5 to 10 p.m. on Thursday; 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
The Strawberry Stage will feature non-stop live performances throughout the festival, including an eight-foot-tall stilt-walking ref; Poor Prognosis, a Coatesville rock band; Sebastian Janoski, a 13-year-old performer from Lititz who has received national attention, including an appearance on the Katie Couric show; the crowd-pleasing Lukens Band; and Amelia Scalies and The Division, who will face off Thursday night in the Strawberry Festival’s Battle of the Bands.
Rides and nonstop entertainment will greet visitors to the 2013 Strawberry Festival, which opens Thursday evening.
Other highlights will include the fair’s famous strawberry shortcake made possible by Citadel; a fireworks display at 9:45 p.m. Friday, sponsored by Oliver Tyrone Pulver Corp. and the Comprehensive Cancer Care; a Strawberriest Kids Contest on Sunday for children 5 and under; a DNB-sponsored raffle of four prizes worth over $1,000 each; a “Strawberryland” children’s area with moon bounces, inflatable slides and more, courtesy of Herr Foods and Sikorsky Helicopters; and an appearance on Sunday from the Radio Disney road crew, which will organize music, games and prizes.
A free nonstop shuttle will transport visitors from the Thorndale Kmart to the fair ground on Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to closing, and unlimited amusement rides can be purchased Thursday with a $25 wristband.
Funds raised from the 2013 Strawberry Festival will benefit the Coatesville Youth Initiative, a project of the Brandywine Health Foundation, as well as the Coatesville Rotary, the Thorndale Volunteer Fire Company, and the Coatesville Public Library. In just the past six years, the Brandywine Health Foundation has distributed nearly $500,000 in grants to the greater Coatesville community from festival revenue alone.
For more information, visit http://brandywinestrawberryfestival.com.
