When the community
of Gladesville acquired this property, it came as an opportunity to retain a community identity and offer a place where the
citizens could meet, work, and play together. However, events were not in short
supply.
The Gladesville
Cemetery Association had sponsored the Gladesville Strawberry Festival since the 1940s but found a day-long event with a pageant,
music, and meal difficult for an aging population.
When that organization
offered the Gladesville Community Association the chance to host the event that
had traditionally been held in the Gladesville School,
they enthusiastically agreed. The Strawberry Festival evolved into the Strawberry Dinner, an important community event held
the first Sunday of each June.
The strawberries
are picked by volunteers on Saturday at the Owl Creek Strawberry Farm, located just off Goshen Road in Monongalia
County.