Strawberry Festival Seeks Sponsors to Keep Tradition Thriving

The annual Crawfordsville Strawberry Festival will be celebrate its 52nd year and is preparing to return to the Lane Place in downtown Crawfordsville. Organizers are calling on local businesses to contribute, thus ensuring this long-running tradition will continue for generations to come.

Scheduled for June 12-14, this weekend-long festival will feature free entertainment, a variety of food vendors, artisanal crafts, a children’s area and much more. The Crawfordsville Strawberry Festival is the largest festival to be held in Montgomery County each year.

The Crawfordsville Strawberry Festival draws thousands of attendees yearly. While many festivalgoers are local residents, organizers say a significant number travel from across the state and even from out of state to visit.

“It’s been wonderful to see local businesses contributing generously to this important tradition; they make this festival possible,” said Ethan Grant, fundraising chair for the Crawfordsville Strawberry Festival. “And in return for their generosity, sponsors boost their visibility to these thousands of visitors eager to shop, dine, and explore our town during the festival weekend.”

For three days, the grounds of the historic Lane Place are transformed into a strawberry-themed celebration that features good food, fun games, arts & crafts, and quality entertainment suitable for all ages. Joanna Lane founded the festival, initially accommodating some 500 attendees who purchased tickets at 10 cents apiece. Over time, thanks to the dedicated efforts of volunteers, the festival has grown significantly.

The 2026 Festival Chair, Jessica McClamroch, emphasized the importance of business involvement. “This festival has been around for 52 years because the community stands behind it.” McClamroch said. “When businesses support the festival, they’re not just sponsoring an event – they’re investing in helping Crawfordsville’s identity, its economy and its sense of community.”

As organizers note, sponsorship opportunities are available at multiple levels; businesses and organizations of all sizes and means may participate. The funds raised help support production and infrastructure, venue and permits, marketing and operations, entertainment, attendee amenities, insurance, technology and much more. No one working behind the scenes to make the festival happen sees any monetary compensation.

With planning under way, Crawfordsville Strawberry Festival volunteers hope to receive the community’s support.

“Believe it or not, the festival is extremely expensive to put on,” McClamroch said. “Over the years, the average cost of the festival is $100,000,  $110,000. We have 30 members on our committee with countless other volunteers to make this event happen each year. If our community wants to see this tradition continue, we need their partnership just as much as we need volunteers who are willing to commit long term.”

Sponsors who have already committed to the 2026 festival are: CEL&P, Lakeside Book Company, Airy Time, Byron Cox Post American Legion, Benchmark Family Services Therapeutic Foster Care, The Tee Shirt Shoppe and Oremus Accounting.

Those businesses and individuals interested in sponsoring this year’s festival can contact Ethan Grant at ethan.strawberryfestival@gmail.com. To learn more about the festival, visit https://crawfordsvillestrawberryfest.com/ and to stay up to date on social media, please follow “Crawfordsville Strawberry Festival” on Facebook and “cvillestrawberryfest” on Instagram.