How to go
What: 2014 Troy Strawberry Festival
When: June 7-8; hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 7; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 8
Where: Troy downtown and Miami River levee
Cost: Free
What: Food, entertainment, arts/crafts
Parking: Shuttles available Waco Field and Meijer (handicapped)
Directions: Waco site accessible from I-75 Exit 69; Meijer from Exit 74
More information: www.gostrawberries.com or 937-339-7714
It seems rather logical for Troy native Kathi Roetter to lead the 2014 Strawberry Festival and select Home Grown Berries as its theme.
Roetter grew up around the festival, participating in its annual parade and helping as a Girl Scout in the children’s area.
She joined in festival planning in 1999 after her son was chosen Little Mr. Strawberry. The festival has since become a family affair with husband, Eric, sons, Matt and Zac and stepson, Chris, all in on the act.
Roetter isn’t too entrenched in tradition, though.
She’s led the way as the festival ventures into new — and at times controversial — territory in 2014, proposing and gaining city approval of a split festival venue.
When the 38th festival welcomes visitors the first full weekend of June, they’ll find activities both on Main Street and the Public Square downtown, as well as the traditional venue along the Great Miami River levee.
The seeds for a downtown venue were planted in 2012 when the festival was moved to Main Street because of the Adams Street Bridge reconstruction near the traditional festival grounds.
The seeds grew even more late last summer when Mumford and Sons and the Gentlemen of the Road Stopover was a big success as it stretched from the downtown onto the river levee.
For Roetter and the festival committee, the decision to move part of the festival was a piece of a plan to breathe new life into the event and test future expansion possibilities.
The need for evaluation and change became magnified when, in the midst of the festival location discussions, organizers of the long-time Piqua Heritage Festival to the north announced that festival was being disbanded.
“It really hit home when we learned that the Piqua Heritage Festival was not going to be around any more. It is important that we are always evaluating and looking at what we can do long term,” Roetter said. “We have the best of both: we embrace tradition on the levee, but also open new doors downtown where it is more accessible and we are able to expand.”
This year’s festival theme is an outgrowth of Miami County’s new brand – Home Grown Great – that was introduced late last year.
Debbie Char, the festival’s publicity coordinator, said she thinks the theme is “the best theme ever” — in large part because the festival is a home-grown event.
For those coming to the 2014 festival, Roetter and Char pointed out some changes:
• Festival arts and crafts booths will be located both downtown and on the levee.
• The long-time tradition of a parade through the downtown won’t happen this year. It will be replaced by a shorter, non-traditional, non-motorized parade starting Saturday morning on Main Street at Plum and proceeding east to and around the Public Square to Prouty Plaza. Opening ceremonies will follow the parade.
• The traditional Friday night festival-related activities will be in the area of Hobart Arena and the levee instead of downtown
• Parking downtown will be limited by the expanded venue so use of shuttles is encouraged with shuttle locations at Waco Field off County Road 25A and Meijer off West Main Street.
• Among events reinstated this year will be the Piqua-Troy alumni football game and the Super Kids competition.
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