Nathan Walters, 2016 festival general chairman, will see to that with his theme selection of “A Cappella Berries.”
Walters offered berry supporters a taste of what’s to come, highlighting the 2016 Festival Kick Off event Feb. 16 with performances by the Troy High School Barbershop Quartet and Ethos, a Wright State University A Cappella Group
This year’s festival again will be held in the downtown and along a portion of the Great Miami River levee.
The festival weekend is June 4-5, but several activities will be held in weekends prior including the festival queen pageant April 8 and the soccer tournament in May.
Walters told those gathered at the First Lutheran Church for the kickoff that music has been “very, very important” to him. The roots date to his days at Cookson Elementary School in Troy through Troy junior and high schools and beyond. He cited the Bowling Green State University Men’s Chorus, the local Melody Men Chorus and the Strawberry Festival Choir among interests.
“Music has been such an important part of my life,” he said. “As an avid barber shopper, I wanted to shine a light on this uniquely American art form, as well as unaccompanied singing in general.”
Walters, a 2000 Troy High School graduate, works as IT client support manager at Clark State Community College. He and his wife, Melissa, live in Troy and have an infant son.
During the kickoff, he was presented with the traditional chairman’s red jacket by former festival chairs.
The festival again will feature arts and crafts, a variety of foods including strawberry specialties, entertainment and special events.
The kick off also included naming of the 2018 festival chair, Eric Roetter, by Matt Watkins, who will lead the 2017 festival.
Watkins said the 2015 version of the festival averaged 150,000 visitors a day and added that more than 15,000 dozen of strawberry doughnuts were sold.
Doug Stone, the 2015 festival chairman whose theme centered on bowling, said that festival was “very good.”
For more festival information, go online to http://gostrawberries.com/.
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