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Pungo Stawberry Festival

By Gene Allen

Real Estate Agent with Fathom Realty

May 25, 2007 01:25 AM

!!!It’s Here; It’s Here!!! The Pungo (Virginia Beach) Strawberry Festival Of Course May 26th-27th 9am-7pm The parade will begin 10am May 26th Why will the one-traffic light hamlet of Pungo have a population boom this weekend of over 120,000 people? Three words explain it: Pungo Strawberry Festival. For the past 24 years, the village has hosted the annual two-day celebration honoring it s sentimental favorite fruit. From a small grass roots festival of 50,000 guests at the inaugural Memorial Day weekend fest to last year's 120,000. No money comes from the city and proceeds go back to the community. "It 's a great, family-friendly, fun event," said Sheriff Paul J. Lanteigne, a longtime festival volunteer and this year's honorary mayor of Pungo. "This is an old-time event that brings everyone together, completely run by volunteers." Get up early as the festival kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday with an 80-unit parade down Princess Anne Road. The grand marshall this year is Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell. Festival attractions include pig races, miltary displays, carnival rides, a livestock show and sale, a youth art show, and arts and craft booths. The live entertainment this year will fill three stages. The performers Troy Hedspeth, Old Time Gospel Singers and Bill Deal's Rhondels. If you are hungry, you won't want to miss the strawberry pie-eating contest, which takes place at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Strawberries are the star of the festival. Strawberries will be prepared 50 different ways, from chocolate dipped to stuffed into crepes, pureed into smoothies to blended into non -alcoholic daiquiris. Admission is free but there is a five dollar parking charge. Follow the signs. !!BELOW ARE VERY IMPORTANT ROAD CLOSINGS DURING THE FESTIVAL!! Throughout the festival, Princess Anne Road will be closed to thru traffic at the stoplight at Indian River Road and Princess Anne Road and down to Muddy Creek Road. The Road will reopen at 10:00pm. On the day of the parade, Indian River Road from Princess Anne Road to the Coast Guard facility gate at 1900 Indian River Road will be CLOSED on Saturday, May 26th from 10:00am until approximately 12:00pm.