History

          From its humble beginnings, May 24, 1947, as a one-day festival sponsored by the Dayton Lions Club, the Tennessee Strawberry Festival has grown into a 10day long extravaganza, jam-packed with a myriad variety of events and activities sponsored by the Dayton Chamber of Commerce.

          For almost half a century strawberry production was one of Rhea County’s principal industries. Production grew rapidly following the sweet berry’s introduction in 1898, the same year the Weekly Herald, ancestor of The Dayton Herald and The Herald-News was started.

          At its height, the local crop produced about four million quarts of the luscious berries each year.

          Once known as the “Strawberry Capital of the World”, Rhea County’s strawberry production dwindled as the soil became exhausted of vital nutrients. By the time the Lions Club decided to start the festival as a community booster gathering and tourist attraction, local farmers were switching to other cash crops.

          The Herald-News today faithfully continues the longstanding tradition of the old Dayton Herald in providing in-depth coverage of the festival from start to finish. The following excerpts were culled from the pages of The Dayton Herald and The Herald-News.

          The year was 1947. Shirley Toliver was named the Queen of the Strawberry Festival. The sponsors of queen candidates had to agree to perform in a “skit” during the pageant.

          Participation in the Strawberry Parade was hard to come by in the early days, although the original festival ostentatiously planned two parades. Only one band from outside the county agreed to perform in the parade.

          “They condescended to play in Dayton for a mere $500,” Dayton Herald Editor Frank Glass Sr. commented in a 1947 editorial.

          Glass went on to say that very few people turned out for several of the events, including the strawberry shortcake dinner. Unfortunately, the wives of Dayton Lions Club members had prepared enough of the tempting dessert to feed 2,000 people.

          “The square dance was fun to watch, but not many of the dancers remembered how it was done,” Glass commented.

          In 1948 there was a bit of an upturn. The area enjoyed the heaviest strawberry harvest in 25 years.

          By the 1950s people had a chance to settle down from the upheaval of World War II, and the event began to truly deserve the title of East Tennessee Strawberry Festival as visitors journeyed from Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville and upper East Tennessee. In 1950, a new National Guard Armory was dedicated as part of the festivities.

          The 1952 celebration, sponsored by Brady-Williams American Legion Post 100 in Dayton, even had a theme song composed for the event, titled “Strawberry Time,” by New York City songwriters Marshall and Frank Madden.

          Joyce Eberly, the Strawberry Festival Queen of 1954, was honored as a guest on an early Chattanooga television show on WDEF.

          With the theme, “Power for Peace,” 40 floats in the 1955 parade were invited to participate in a similar theme parade in Chattanooga. That year, 34 young women contended for the honored title of Strawberry Queen.

          The Dayton Herald reported that efforts were being made to make it a “radio-controlled” parade. The reference probably meant that the police would control the progress of the parade by radio contact.

          In 1956 the East Tennessee Strawberry Festival made headlines primarily through its absence. Organizers from Brady-Williams American Legion Post 100 in Dayton cited lack of interest by potential participants as the reason for canceling the festival, despite a frantic, last-minute attempt to find a sponsor.

          The Strawberry Festival isn’t always the only headline in early May. The 1957 festival was upstaged on the front page by a raid on a moonshiner’s still. Another lead story dealt with an open house held for the Spring City Water and Waste Disposal Plant.

          Members of the 1957 Chamber of Commerce, even then on the lookout for new industry, arranged with the Tennessee Highway Patrol to have a caravan of political heavyweights detoured through Dayton.

          In the caravan were U.S. Sen. Albert Gore Sr. (father of Vice President Al Gore) and Sen. Estes Kefauver, who were on their way to Rockwood to dedicate a $15 million industrial plant. The delegation, in town for a total of four minutes, were given cups of strawberries and souvenir books of matches from Robinson’s Drug Store.

          With the largest parade to that date, the 1960 Strawberry Festival boasted over 60 units.

          In 1963, the festival went “Hollywood.” The late Sebastian Cabot and Dale Robertson attended the event.

          Cabot, who appeared as the butler Mr. French in the television show, “Family Affair,” was honored as the Grand Marshal of the parade. He later went on to appear in a remake of the film, “Miracle on 34th Street.” Robertson is best remembered as the replacement for Ronald Reagan on “Death Valley Days.”

          The weather intervened in 1967 and provided a first for the festival the cancellation of the parade. Rain may have halted the parade, but many of the events went on as scheduled indoors. Floats were still judged and bands performed in the Rhea Central High School gym.

          The festival became an interstate affair in 1971. East Tennessee Strawberry Queen Dianna Warren, of Bristol, Va., was invited to be the grand marshal of the West Virginia Strawberry Festival parade.

          In 1972, the Strawberry Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary. To mark the event, Shirley Toliver Sutton, the first Strawberry Queen in 1947, attended the festival with five other former pageant winners.

          The highlight of that year’s festival was an exciting air show featuring 50 women pilots and their planes.

          The late Mel Street and Hal Jackson headlined a country music show at the 1973 Strawberry Festival.

          Paul “Hambone” Todd led his 28th Strawberry Parade in 1975. It was no small feat since Todd had to lead the parade with a broken ankle.

          “Inherit the Wind,” the drama loosely based on the Scopes Trial of 1925, opened the 1978 Strawberry Festival.

          A 1953 Rolls Royce, once owned by Princess Margaret of Great Britain, appeared in the 1981 Strawberry Parade. Miss Tennessee 1981 Sarah Leonard rode in the car that was one of 150 units appearing in the parade.

          A letter to the editor in The Dayton Herald criticized the conduct of a group of Shriners in the 1981 parade. The letter called their conduct a “flagrant disregard for other people’s rights.”

          The letter went on to also question the wisdom of placing horses at the front of the parade.

          “I’m sure that if whoever staged the parade had to walk behind these animals for a couple of miles, they would be acutely aware of why animals DO belong at the back of the parade,” the writer noted.

          An accident marred the safety record of the Strawberry Parade in 1984 when a motorbike plowed into a group of spectators. Five people were slightly injured when a member of the Cook’s Pest Patrol unit from Scottsboro, Ala., lost control and crashed into the crowd.

          The year 1985 marked the end of a Strawberry Parade era with the death of “Hambone” Todd, March 17, in the Rhea County Nursing home. Hambone had been a fixture at the head of the Strawberry Parade for more than 30 years. The 1985 Strawberry Festival special edition of The Herald-News was dedicated to him.

          Miss Tennessee 1985, Sonya Pleasant graced the top float of the 1986 Strawberry Festival Parade, an antebellum steamboat named the “Strawberry Queen.”

          Governor Ned McWherter was the headliner for the 1987 Strawberry Parade, but it was President Ronald Reagan who grabbed the front page the week after the parade. Reagan’s visit to Chattanooga that week included a closeddoor press conference with journalists from The Herald-News.

          Still, the children will certainly remember the arrival of Robinson’s Racing Pigs more than either politician.

          The Grand Marshals for 1988’s Strawberry Parade included a group of very special individuals — Rhea County’s proud and very brave Special Olympians.

          The craft fair suddenly mushroomed, in 1988, from a small, community affair around the courthouse, to an immense, sprawling festival with a life all its own at Cedar Point Park.

          The theme of the 1989 Tennessee Strawberry Festival was “Education on Parade,” and appropriately enough, the Grand Marshals were Rhea County’s retired teachers. About 12,000 spectators lined the parade’s route along Market St. The City of Dayton won the Grand Prize Bill Carter Award for its futuristic version of a space shuttle zooming out of an old-fashioned classroom.

          Angelia Kaye Vinsant, of Knoxville, made a stunning queen for the 1989 festival, despite a bevy of other beautiful contenders.

           Rhea County vaulted into the decade of the ‘90s with a Strawberry Festival emphasizing “New Beginnings.”

          The parade featured the return of the Alhambra Shriners — hundreds of them — on horseback, in funny cars, in buses, on motorcycles, on skateboards, and on, and on, and on; the Order of the Red Fezzers came in droves. Cool weather was another highlight of the parade — for the first time in years.

          The City of Dayton captured the coveted Bill Carter Grand Prize for its float emphasizing environmental awareness and recycling. Governor Ned McWherter also did a repeat performance as Grand Marshal, graciously receiving the traditional gifts of strawberries and ‘Nilla Wafers.

          After being first runner-up to Angelia Kaye Vinsant in 1989, Dari Anne Tarbuk, of Nashville, returned to the 1990 Strawberry Queen’s Pageant to claim the crown for her own.

          Miss Tennessee 1989, Lisa Robertson, of Cleveland, was on familiar ground at the 1990 Strawberry Pageant. Lisa was first runner-up in the 1988 Strawberry Pageant.

          The 1991 Tennessee Strawberry Festival marked the end of an era. For many years the Strawberry Festival Queen’s Pageant had served as a qualifier for the Miss Tennessee Pageant, and two young Dayton ladies: Deborah Cowart (1983) and Rhonda Maynor (1974) used the local pageant as their stepping stone to reach the state pageant.

          In 1991, Tiffany LeAnne Johnson of Seymour, second runner-up in the 1990 pageant, was named the last Strawberry Queen. For the second year in a row, a local girl did not compete in the pageant.

          Following the contest, the Dayton Chamber of Commerce decided that the expense of sponsoring a Miss Tennessee qualifier was not justified because the extensive competition from outside Rhea County was keeping local girls from entering the pageant. The pageant was dropped, and the Rhea County Young Woman of the Year Scholarship Contest took its place.

          About 14,000 spectators turned out to see the Strawberry Parade that was headed up by University of Tennessee quarterback and native son, Andy Kelly. For the first time in many years, vehicles from the 1/181st Tennessee National Guard Service Battery did not participate in the parade — the vehicles and some of the men were still in Saudi Arabia following Operation Desert Storm.

          The Grand Marshal’s position at the head of the parade was vacant for the 1992 Tennessee Strawberry Festival: Grand Marshal singer/ songwriter Bertie Higgins of Key Largo fame was late for the start of the parade and slipped in toward the end. About 200 DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) students from Rhea County schools proudly lead the parade in Higgins’ absence.

          About 18,000 spectators turned out for the parade and festival — the largest crowd in memory. The theme for the 45th annual Strawberry Festival: A Taste of Rhea, was certainly appropriate with a cornucopia of special taste treats available for every palate.

          Amy Castlen was named Rhea County Young Woman of the Year — that scholarship contest replaced the queen’s pageant.

          A full-scale advertising campaign, corporate sponsorships and big name entertainers like the Forester Sisters and T.G. Sheppard attracted huge crowds to the Strawberry Festival in 1993. About 30,000 people attended the 46th annual festival.

          Other highlights of the 10daylong festival included the Scheer’s Lumberjack Show, jet ski races and water skiing demonstrations which made for a “Berry Wet Weekend.”

          The Strawberry Festival pageant changed once again, this time from Young Woman of the Year to Junior Miss, as Candice Hixson won the title of Rhea County Junior Miss.

          The 47th edition of the Strawberry Festival was a bittersweet event. The most ambitious festival of all, it featured almost two solid weeks of nonstop professional entertainment including two of the biggest names in country music. Sadly, when the weather didn’t cooperate and anticipated crowds of tens of thousands balked at buying admission pins, the Chamber of Commerce was saddled with a sizable debt.

          One of the hottest names in country music, Marty Stuart, and one of the most enduring country stars, Tom T. Hall, were the featured attractions of the festival. NASCAR driver Kyle Petty, Beatlemania, top contemporary Christian artists and professional children’s entertainers also added to the event. Andrea Mirra was named Junior Miss of the 47th annual Strawberry Festival.

          In order to recover from the previous year’s debt, the Dayton Chamber planned a “Down Home” festival on a bare bones budget in 1995. Surprisingly, it was a big success, financially and attendance-wise. The chamber earned about $25,000 to pay off most of the previous year’s debt, and about 21,000 people turned out for the parade, craft show and entertainment that featured primarily local talent.

          Although Little Jimmy Dickens and Bobby Harden are not in a league with Marty Stuart and Tom T. Hall, Rhea Countians welcomed the country singers enthusiastically. Jodi Sawyer of Dayton was named the 1996 Rhea County Junior Miss. The parade was unfortunately marred by a fistfight, which erupted in the street. Officers escorted the combatants away in handcuffs.

          In a repeat of the previous year, the 1996 festival was a big success and attracted about 20,000 people… on a shoestring budget.

          Country and Pop recording star Billy Joe Royal was the Grand Marshal for the parade and provided the headline entertainment. His familiar hits like “Down in the Boondocks” and “Old Bridges Burn Slow” thrilled his audience of thousands.

          The local old-time, rock ’n’ roll band Manshoes gave an encore performance at the second annual Block Party and got the weekend celebration started off on the right foot.

          About 100 entries participated in the Strawberry Parade, and First American Home Care won the Bill Carter Grand Prize and $100 for the parade’s best float.

          In 1997, Dayton Chamber of Commerce organizers decided to keep the homespun flavor of the festival, which has proven to be popular in recent years for the 50th anniversary celebration.

          T.Graham Brown, best known for hits like “I Tell It Like It Used to Be” and “I Wish I Could Hurt That Way Again,” was the grand marshal of the parade and provided the headline entertainment.

          Shirley Toliver Sutton, the first Strawberry Queen, who rode in the first Strawberry Parade, added her charm to this year’s event.

          Magic Touch Dry Cleaners won the $250 First Prize for Best Float in the parade competition.

          Bad weather threatened to shut the festival down. But with the exception of thunderstorms forcing an early finale to Manshoes’ performance at the Friday night Block Party, festival events went off without a hitch.

          The 1998 Tennessee Strawberry Festival, the 51st event, also had a rain casualty as a Sunday afternoon downpour forced cancellation of the Sunday Gospel Music Celebration and dampened the spirits of some craft and food vendors.

          About 20,000 people watched the parade, which Sheriff Leon Sneed proclaimed one of the largest crowds ever. U.S. Representative Van Hilleary, state Senator Gene Elsea and state Representative Raymond Walker, all Rhea County residents, served as grand marshals for the parade.

          One of the new events held during the festival was a battle of the bands as junior high and high school marching bands from around the region competed for prize money.

          Pizza Hut in Soddy-Daisy won the $1,000 First Prize for its stunning float covered with 11,000 white napkins and ivy-covered arches.

          The weather for the 52nd annual Tennessee Strawberry Festival was picture perfect: 70s, sunny and breezy.

          The NewsChannel 9 morning team of Melydia Clewell, Bill Race and Rhea County native Don Welch made a guest appearance to judge the Strawberry Baking Contest and ride in the parade.

          Mike Snider, Grand Ole Opry star, national champion banjo picker and country comedian extraordinaire was the grand marshal for the parade. Snider and his longtime sidekick, Dayton businessman George Thacker, gave a toe-tapping, side-slapping concert following the parade.

          Big money was the name of the game in parade float competition. Ogden Baptist Church captured the $1,000 grand prize with Noah’s Ark.

          The perfect weather enjoyed during the 1999 Strawberry Festival was paid for in full during 2000 when the heavens opened and dumped more than an inch of rain on the parade. Spectators sought shelter under umbrellas, newspapers and trees while parade entries hurried along the parade route in record time.

          Smoky, the mascot for the University of Tennessee Volunteers, served as the grand marshal, despite the wet weather. Melydia, Bill and Don from NewsChannel 9, joined Smoky on that soggy ride.

          Smith’s Crossroads and the Gardenhire District won the trophy for best float in the Commercial Division. Cranmore Cove Baptist Church won first place and $750 in the Nonprofit Division.

          Mike Snider and George Thacker reprised their concert and standup act from 1999

          The Strawberry Festival has traditionally featured country music, so it was quite a departure for The Platters with Monroe Powell to provide the headline entertainment for the 54th annual strawberry festival in 2001. One of the original Motown groups.

          Intermittent showers didn’t scare off one of the festival’s largest crowds, and 25,000 to 30,000 people braved the elements for almost two hours as the parade passed along Market Street.

          Carter Equipment Rental won the grand prize and the traveling trophy for its recreation of the prize-winning float in the 1968 Strawberry Parade featuring the entire Peanuts Gang, including Snoopy and the Red Baron. U.S. Rep. Van Hilleary, R-Spring City, was the grand marshal of the parade, along with his lovely wife, Meredith.

          Earlier in the festival, April Brown was named Rhea County Junior Miss for 2002.

          The 55th annual Tennessee Strawberry Festival will long be remembered for having the worst weather in many years.

          A crowd of a couple of hundred die-hard fans braved temperatures in the 40s and drenching rains to hear Dan Seals play on Friday night.

          Saturday wasn’t much better as temperatures climbed only into the 50’s and many guests wore coats and hats and carried both umbrellas and blankets. Coffee and hot chocolate definitely sold better than the frozen fruit drinks in 2002.

          Robinson Manufacturing won first place in the Commercial Division, and Brownie Troop 401 took first in the Nonprofit division for best parade floats.

          Jennifer Madewell was crowned Rhea County Junior Miss for 2003 earlier in the week.

          The festival featured several new events including the Strawberry Crunch demolition derby, a garden tractor pull, a poker run and a Community Choir Celebration.

          The 2003 festival was another wet on with an hour-long deluge dampening festival spirits on Saturday afternoon.

          Flooding two weeks earlier forced the cancellation or postponement of several events including the demolition derby and adult fishing tournament. Charli Byrd was selected as Rhea County Junior Miss.

          Rhea Count’s two Pearl Harbor survivors, Carl Best and Gene Goshen served as grand marshals for the 56th festival’s parade.

          Toil de Art Gallery won First Place and $750 in the Nonprofit Division, while Eagles Nest Barber Shop won First Place in the Commercial Division and the right to display the traveling trophy.

          It was completely appropriate that Gil and Anna Kyle, the beloved couple who for many years have coordinated the gospel music stage, were honored as Grand Marshals of the 57th festival’s parade, with a theme of “Celebrating the Music of Tennessee”. Volunteer ATV Gang won first place in the Non-profit category for their parade float, while Art A La Mode nabbed first place win in the Commercial.

          In the first festival bluegrass competition in several years, three sisters from Calhoun, GA., using the name Stone Ginger, won first place and $1000. Little did anyone know then that the sisters and a couple of pickers from Rhea County would win a national talent contest as the Lovell Sisters Band just a few months later.

          The week after the parade, Stephanie Wimberley won the title of Rhea County Junior Miss.

          The 2005 Strawberry Festival honored the 1960’s with a theme of “Strawberry Days Forever; Celebrating the ‘60s.” The grand marshals for the parade were the Strawberry Festival queens from the 1960s, but only two of them, Janice Toews (1959) and Mary Lou Walker Pierce (1963) were actually able to ride in the parade.

          Although rain and hail interrupted the festival on more than one occasion, more than 24,000 people attended the festival in spite of the weather.

          Kristina Hixson was selected as Rhea County Junior Miss for 2006.