If it looked, smelled or tasted like strawberries, then Brantly Windham and his aunt, Whitney, were all over it at Cullman's Strawberry Festival Saturday.   

Shaving a day off this year’s Strawberry Festival didn’t diminish its appeal — not by a long sight.

If anything, it only amplified the atmosphere in downtown Cullman Saturday, where thousands poured into closed-off streets to take in great weather, music, street food, games, and — of course — all things strawberry.

The festival, normally a two-day event, was pared back to a Saturday-only affair after a cold rain forced organizers to cancel Friday’s planed activities. But, said Cullman Park and Rec Director Nathan Anderson, Saturday’s heavy attendance more than made up for it.

“It’s just been amazing,” he said Saturday. “We had a lot of people come out last year, but looking around, I think it’s pretty clear that, this year, it’s just stepped up another level. It’s been like this all day. Thanks to this kind of turnout and this kind of interest from everyone, I don’t think [canceling] yesterday hurt us at all.”

The area around Cullman’s Depot Park and Festhalle Market Platz played host once again to one of the area’s oldest festivals, celebrating the strawberry — long a seasonal staple of Cullman County’s agricultural economy — with a full day of music from the festival’s main stage on Arnold Street, a free car show along First Avenue, more than 120 vendors, and buckets upon buckets of fresh strawberries for sale…until they sold out.

“Oh, we’ve sold out three times today, and the last time, there was no more,” said a delighted Melynnda Umphrey of Walnut Grove-based Umphrey Farms, Saturday afternoon. “This is our first time here, and I can tell you we’ll definitely be back next year, rockin’ the Strawberry Fest! Now that our part’s over, I’m gonna stick around and go check everything else out. It’s just a great time.”

In its heyday, the Strawberry Festival was a week-long affair that marked a community-wide, seasonal celebration for locals. The festival dates back to the 1930s, when more than 20,000 people reportedly came into town for a strawberry parade and pageant, as well as exhibits, a community singing and a grand ball.

In recent years, Cullman Park and Rec has recognized the festival’s still-relevant appeal in this agriculturally-driven county, and revived it for a new generation. Each annual iteration has tweaked the formula slightly, and the turnout has grown.

Last year’s Strawberry Festival drew nearly 10,000 people over its full two-day run. And, although organizers hadn’t attached a final estimate to this year’s crowd as the festival continued into the night Saturday, a walk around the event venue suggested locals have every reason to look forward to Strawberry Festival 2018.

“I like it because it’s familiar and it’s different,” said Jay Hamilton of Birmingham, swinging a basket of fresh strawberries while he watched his son, Oscar, take a turn at the festival’s popular face-painting station. “There’re things here that you can do at any festival, but at the same time, there’s all this stuff that’s all about strawberries. If you’re not from here and you’re looking for something to do, that kind of has its own appeal, because it’s unique and it’s local, and it’s just a lot of fun.”

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 145.