Thanks to everyone for making our 2010 Strawberry Festival our best ever "berry" special day for children and the young at heart! Sunny, breezy weather and scrumptious strawberries, combined with generous support from the Durham community and from our school families, helped us raise money for improvements to Old North Durham Park. Mark your calendar for next year's festival, the first Saturday in May!

LIVE PERFORMANCES

The festival kicked off with a parade fired up by the Lowe's Grove Drum Line and Dancers, starting at the Durham Farmers' Market and leading the crowd up Foster Street to the festival. Who could resist joining in? Other participatory performances included Chuck Davis' Strawberry Dance (designed especially for our festival!), an open drum circle, and spontaneous interactive theater with TAFFY (Transactors).

Live music throughout the day featured classic rock & roll from the TROSA Band... Middle Eastern influenced funk from Jaafar... "Americana comfort food for the ears" from The Lasting Happiness... improvisational hip-hop jazz from The Beast... funky folk traditional from Martin, Bernay and Melvin... and roots, rock and blues from Hwy 54. We also enjoyed performances by Walltown Children's Theatre Hip Hop dancers and gymnasts from the Little Gym. All our entertainers donated their time and talents -- we are so grateful! Many thanks to Shankle Sound Reinforcement for making it all sound great.

DELICIOUS FOOD

We had so many delicious food choices, it was hard to know where to start!

Festival-goers enjoyed Strawberry Festival favorites including strawberry shortcakes, smoothies and chocolate-dipped strawberries. They were all made from scratch with wholesome ingredients, with donations from Whole Foods, Guglhupf Bakery, NC State University, and Lyon Farms.

Lunch selections from local vendors included Only Burger, Jamaica Jamaica, and Brown's Concessions. Other tasty treats included peppermint lemons, "PB&S" sandwiches, strawberry lemonade, and freshly-made popcorn, plus refreshing cold water from Kinetico's Blue Green Machine.

GAMES & ACTIVITIES

There was fun for kids of all ages -- the young and the young at heart. Crafty folks made animals out of beads, mixed up nutty putty, and tried their hand at woodworking. Kids of all sizes navigated our obstacle courses, jumped in the bounce house, and hit the target at our dunk tank. (Splash!!) A karaoke booth was new this year. The photo booth was lots of silly dress-up fun, and the Face Painting and Strawberry Nails booths were busy all day long. Younger festival-goers enjoyed splashing at our Bubbles booth and planting seeds all by themselves. A special treat was touring a TV news truck and various emergency vehicles including fire trucks, police cars and motorcycles, and getting to meet "K9" members of the Durham Police Department.

ALL TO BENEFIT OLD NORTH DURHAM PARK

All proceeds go toward the transformation of Old North Durham Park, a community urban oasis for playing and learning. This collaboration between the school, the city of Durham and local businesses is in keeping with the continued revitalization of the downtown area. The Festival is run solely by volunteers from the school and community, and is made possible by the generosity of residents, school families and local businesses.

«This unique climbing structure, the only one of its kind in Durham, was purchased with Strawberry Festival proceeds.
Photo by Judy Compton.

For more information on plans and how you can be a part of it, call the school at 682-1200.

OUR MISSION

The Central Park School for Children is committed to nurturing and guiding the natural eagerness of each child to explore, grow, and relate to others. The school is founded on three principles: that children are naturally full of life, power and confidence; that the best available research should guide our methods; and that children develop best in a community where curiosity, challenges and learning are valued. The school is creating a community of partners to guide, cherish and be amazed by the children.