Calling all Strawberry Queens of last 50 years
The 2017 Strawberry Fair, which will take place in Enniscorthy over the June bank holiday weekend, marks the 50th anniversary of County Wexford’s much loved and highly acclaimed celebration of the annual strawberry harvest.
A particular highlight of the fair over the past 50 years has been the selection of the Strawberry Queen, so this year it will come as no surprise to fans of the festival to learn that the organisers are planning on inviting all former Queens to partake in the 50th anniversary celebrations.
For what promises to be a nostalgic and heartwarming trip down memory lane, the 49 previous holders of the title are being invited back to Enniscorthy for the festival weekend and to relive again that magical moment in their lives when their name was called out from the bandstand as Strawberry Queen of a given year.
Work is already under way in trying to trace all the former queens and while it is proving to be a work in progress, many previous winners have already been traced and have expressed their willingness to return to Enniscorthy for the celebrations.
A complete list of all previous winners has been compiled and the task now facing the organising committee is to touch base with all the ladies concerned. Several of the winners are understood to be living abroad, while others are based in various parts of Ireland. More are still very much part and parcel of the social, commercial and community life of Enniscorthy and they, in particular, are helping greatly in establishing contact with former winners.
Many of the previous Queens are now of course ‘Queen Mums’ and the hope of the 2017 organising committee is that they may avail of the opportunity to bring their families to Enniscorthy so they too can enjoy all of the fun of the Strawberry Fair.
Former queens not yet contacted but who would like to be part of the celebrations are asked to telephone their contact details to 053 9233540 or email same to emdreception@ wexfordcoco.ie
Enniscorthy and District Chamber of Commerce, together with Enniscorthy Municipal District Council, are working closely with the Strawberry Fair committee to guarantee the success of the 50th anniversary event and with this objective in mind, it has been decided to stage the hugely popular Street Rythmns Festival and the Strawberry Roots Festival in conjunction with the Strawberry Fair so as to broaden even further the appeal of all three festivals. Such a combination of music, song, dance and entertainment is virtually guaranteed to make Enniscorthy the place to be during the 2017 June Bank Holiday weekend.