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Long, McClamroch to co-chair annual Strawberry Festival

The annual three-day festival in early June draws thousands of people to the Lane Place grounds for a variety of food, entertainment, car shows, crafts and more.
The annual three-day festival in early June draws thousands of people to the Lane Place grounds for a variety of food, entertainment, car shows, crafts and more.
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Crawfordsville Strawberry Festival organizers are gearing up for another memorable year, and announced the co-chairs for the 51st annual festival.

The duo of S. David Long and Jessica McClamroch will lead this year’s festival, which will be held June 13-15.

McClamroch will then transition to chairman the year after.

Long has been a prominent figure for 30 years, serving in a variety of roles throughout his time with the festival. He has served on the entertainment committee as the “voice of the festival” and is responsible for the yearly “Hometown Heros” segment where local law enforcement, military, firefighter and first responders are honored. 

Prior to this year, Long has served as chairman for the last nine years. 

“When I was working full-time for the local National Guard unit at the armory, I was approached to see if I could come up with some type of program to honor our local ‘heroes.’ That, I thought, one time program, is still here and so am I. I feel it’s important to be involved in the community where you live and it’s been my honor to be a small part of this county’s premier, locally organized event, that recorded over 19,000 visits over three days last year.” 

Over the years, McClamroch has taken the queen program to a new level.

“I look forward to working with Jessica, who has jumped right in and has some exciting, new ideas to add to the festival,” Long said.

McClamroch has been involved with the Strawberry Festival Queen Program for the past 20 years, beginning her journey as a contestant, progressing to queen, serving as a committee member, and ultimately assuming the role of director in 2017. She has sat on the Strawberry Festival committee for the last seven years.

“It’s a full-circle moment for me as I was elected as co-chair,” she said. “I’ve attended the festival since I was a little girl and it’s an honor to collaborate with S. Dave Long and the committee to help enhance the experience for all attendees for this year’s festival.”

As co-chairs, Long and McClamroch will oversee the planning, programming and execution of the festival, ensuring it remains a positive and memorable experience for all those attending.

The full schedule and lineup for the festival will be revealed in the coming months and the committee encourages everyone to follow the festival page on Facebook at “Crawfordsville Strawberry Festival” and on Instagram @cvillestrawberryfest.

Anyone interested in volunteering should contact McClamroch at 765-366-6917.


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