In honor of the upcoming Strawberry Festival (June 25-26 at Crossroads Park), learn more about the festival’s history from the Eastside Heritage Center.

“Here I take my stand to feast my eyes upon the visions of snowy biscuits oozing with juicy red strawberries and topped with luscious whipped cream.” — Patricia (Groves) Sandbo, 1934

Since strawberries are the namesake and reason for the festival, it is no surprise that they are one of the most popular features. “Last byt not least, we would like to thank all those who were consumers of shortcakes and who, thereby, helped to make it (the 1932 Strawberry Festival) a financial success,” was written in the June 30, 1932 edition of the Bellevue Reflector.

In the first years of the festival, shortcakes were baked on site by volunteers. As the popularity of the Strawberry Festival continued to grow, this was no longer practical. In 1927, Fisher Flouring Mills stepped in with electric ovens and provided the staff to mix and bake the shortcakes, much to the relief of the Strawberry Festival volunteers.

This information and image were provided by the Eastside Heritage Center. To learn more about Bellevue and Eastside history, contact the Eastside Heritage Center at 425-450-1049 or visitwww.EastsideHeritageCenter.org.