It’s summertime, which means the Cathedral Women of Christ Church Cathedral are gearing up for the 59th Annual Strawberry Festival.
This year, the festival returns to Monument Circle on June 12, offering Hoosiers a sweet treat of original strawberry shortcake from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. — or until supplies run out. The offerings include “The Works,” which provides homemade shortcake, strawberries, ice cream and whipped topping for $10.
Started in June 1965, the annual strawberry festival is the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year, with proceeds beyond cost going directly to charity. Parishioner Pat Harding suggested the church host a strawberry festival, like the one hosted in her hometown of Lymington, England. Church Sexton Nate Gore and the Cathedral women agreed it could be a great way both raise some money and have fun.
In previous years, the Cathedral Women used the Strawberry Festival Grants to support hundreds or organizations across Central Indiana, including Random Acts of Flowers Indianapolis, Indiana Women in Need Foundation (IWIN), El Sistema Indianapolis and Outreach Inc.
The first year of the festival, the Cathedral Women baked 100 homemade shortcakes on the church lawn. The event had been hosted on Thursday night to “capitalize on the evening hours of the J.C. Penney department store on Monument Circle,” according to a press release. They sold out within two hours.
This year, the congregation and friends have baked 15,400 homemade shortcakes and plan to serve nearly 4 tons of strawberries. Single items will also be available for purchase again this year. Strawberries and ice cream are $3 each, and shortcakes and whipped topping are $2 each.
Cash and cards are both accepted. Pre-sale orders of 10 or more or advance purchase voucher tickets may be submitted at indystrawberryfestival.org.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
