Alva's Strawberry Festival planning same old-fashioned fun at new nearby venue
As if I needed another reminder that this is the best job in the world (for me, at least), it just occurred to me that for a good decade and a half, I've been able to spread the news about my hometown's annual spring celebration. And here we are again, a little scuffed up from a tough hurricane season, with slightly different festival grounds, but plenty to celebrate all the same.
Granted, I live in Alva, so I may be a little partial to its charms. But I also know that a drive out to the country on a fine spring morning nourishes the soul, though the good folks of the Alva Garden Club will make sure the rest of you gets fed next Saturday, too.
So, please, consider yourself most cordially invited to the club's plant sale/open house/bake sale/raffle/old-fashioned social, one of our region’s favorite old Florida springtime traditions.
The main event: strawberry shortcake, made with club grande dame Nina Rigby's family recipe, topped with fruit fresh from Florida fields, via Rooster's Produce, and a cool dollop of whipped cream.
But this is a garden club, after all, so there'll be plenty of plants for sale, some donated by Keepsake Plants just up the road, others grown by club members. I can vouch for their more-than-reasonable prices. You can also browse the tables of used books, sample homemade baked goods and check out area crafters' creations.
Unlike years past, the event won't be at the Alva Library Museum; instead, it will be just across the street. "We have made changes," Nina wrote to me in her annual cursive press release. “We are pleased to have many more members but sad that we have outgrown the museum. We have moved across the street to the Methodist Church, which is much more roomy. Lots of parking space."
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The nonprofit museum will be open during the festival, so you can stop by to get a crash course in small-town history, with board members (I'm one of the all-volunteer crew) around to answer questions. And I have it on good authority that some of those volunteers' talented children will be on hand playing live music.
As Lee county's oldest platted settlement, Alva was not so sleepy once upon a time. In the late 1800s and early 20th century, it was a happening place, with restaurants, rooming houses, hotels and — most importantly — a river crossing. Fort Myers didn't have a bridge until the 1920s, but Alva did — a wooden swing bridge that lasted until a barge filled with rocket parts bound for the Kennedy Space Center crashed into it in 1966.
We got another one ‒ a fine metal drawbridge ‒ but by then, Alva had been overshadowed by Lee County's other cities. Which is just fine with most Alvanians, I'd venture to guess.
Let Cape Coral have its toll bridges, Fort Myers its high-rises, Bonita Springs its upscale malls. Alva's got farmers and cattlemen, Spanish moss and citrus, kids who say "Yes, ma'am" and matriarchs like Nina who serve up strawberry shortcake from scratch, which is indeed something to celebrate.
If you go
What: Alva Garden Club plant sale and strawberry festival
When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, March 11
Where: Alva United Methodist Church, 21440 Pearl St., Alva
Info: Call 239-690-0148.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: A sweet sign of spring: Alva strawberry festival/plant sale is March 11
