Loxley’s long-running spring tradition returns this weekend, with the 28th annual Baldwin County Strawberry Festival set for Saturday and Sunday at Loxley Municipal Park.
Admission is free, and the two-day festival includes arts and crafts vendors, live music, an antique car show, more than a dozen food vendors and a carnival for kids. The festivities are presided over by the newly crowned Little Miss Strawberry and her court, a tradition that has followed the festival for years. Entertainment runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
Proceeds from the festival benefit Loxley Elementary School and the Association of Retarded Citizens of Baldwin County. Festival organizers post the full schedule, including the live music lineup, at the event’s website, along with information on how to enter the Little Miss Strawberry pageant.
Also on the calendar around the area
Strawberry season isn’t the only thing drawing crowds this month. St. Mary Catholic School’s Knights of Columbus Crawfish and Bluegrass Extravaganza returns for another year on a Saturday later in April, running from 4 to 9 p.m. at St. Mary Catholic School. The event typically serves thousands of pounds of crawfish alongside a bluegrass lineup, gumbo, hot dogs, Cammie’s Old Dutch Ice Cream and beer from Fairhope Brewing Company. Organizers are collecting canned goods for the Bay Area Food Bank, and proceeds benefit Catholic Social Services’ “Legacy for the Future” program. Tickets run $25 in advance and $30 at the gate, with discounted rates for high school students and free admission for kids 12 and under.
USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital is holding its second annual Local Goodness fundraiser the following Sunday, a farm-to-table event at the Alabama Cruise Terminal featuring local chefs, seafood, meats, produce, art and live music. Tickets are $150 per person, with proceeds supporting healthcare for women and children across the region.
Also on the calendar: a wine dinner at Zea’s featuring the wines of French distributor Jean Francois Christini, paired with a four-course meal, and St. Mary’s annual Casino Night fundraiser, themed “An Evening in Paris” this year, which benefits St. Mary’s Catholic School.