A Little History…

What began in 1973 as a one-day event on the grounds of the Coatesville City Hall, has grown into a four-day extravaganza on the ground of Brandywine Hospital attracting over 25,000 guests. Originally organized by the nurses at the Coatesville Hospital to raise funds for a nursing scholarship, the festival grew to be one of Brandywine Hospital’s most successful fund raising events.

Although Brandywine Hospital still hosts the Festival and generously donates over $20,000 in in-kind services, since the Hospital’s sale to a for-profit owner, the Strawberry Festival now benefits a variety of health and human service organizations in the community through the Brandywine Health Foundation, as well as the Coatesville Rotary, the Thorndale Volunteer Fire Company, the Brandywine YMCA, and the Coatesville Public Library.

The Strawberry Festival Today…

Building on 38 years of success, the Strawberry Festival has become one of the most highly anticipated, family oriented events in our area. Very soon, the beautiful grounds of the Brandywine Hospital will be bursting with exciting entertainment, family fun, food, laughter, music and more at the 2010 Strawberry Festival presented by Harleysville National Bank & PECO.

Right now, plans for the 2010 Strawberry Festival are in full gear. After the record breaking success of the past few years, the festival committee continues its commitment to bring fresh ideas and exciting additions to the festival every year and this year’s Strawberry Festival promises to be the best ever!

Admission is free and there is non-stop excitement for kids of all ages. Everyone will enjoy the rides located on the Majestic Midway as well as the on-going entertainment on the main stage. Throughout the festival grounds, visitors will be entertained by Magicians, Jugglers and other strolling entertainers, while Disney, Sesame Street and Nickelodeon characters greet families and provide great photo opportunities!

Young festival visitors will flock to Strawberryland, one of the festival’s most popular areas featuring moon bounces inflatable slides, Mickey’s Fun House, a trackless train and much more. An $8 wristband for Strawberryland allows kids to bounce and play all day long! The Berry Blast Zone has been redesigned for older kids and kids at heart. Exiting additions for 2010 include an Extreme Rock Wall, Mechanical Bull, Mechanical Surfboard along with other inflatable fun like a Bungee Run, Boxing and Velcro Wall. Special tickets will be available for activities in this area for a very affordable price.

Everyone will enjoy the vast array of festival food including our famous strawberry shortcake, a festival tradition not to be missed!!!! And, your time at the festival would not be complete without strolling though our new Artisan Tent featuring local artisans who will demonstrating their crafts and visiting our popular vendor fair featuring a wide variety of local and national vendors.

Finally, don’t miss our SPECTACULAR FIREWORKS EXTRAVAGANZA which takes place on Friday, June 4th when ArcelorMittal sponsors T.G.I.F. on the main stage with nonstops bands! The rain date is Saturday, June 5th when the main stage will be rocking again with nonstop music provided by some of the area’s most popular bands.

Funds raised from the 2010 Strawberry Festival benefit a variety of health and human service organizations in the community and the newly launched Coatesville Youth Initiative through the Brandywine Health Foundation. Secondary beneficiaries of the Strawberry Festival include the Brandywine YMCA, the Coatesville Public Library, the Coatesville Rotary, and the Thorndale Volunteer Fire Company. For continually updated information regarding the 2010 Strawberry Festival presented by Harleysville National Bank and PECO, check back to this site or become a fan on Facebook!