As the hee-haws of Chester the donkey rang throughout the area, kids in their rubber boots and cowboy hats picked through hundreds of pounds of strawberries, searching for the most perfect, plump ones. They picked until their little red wagons were full of fruit at The Bryer Patch’s fourth annual strawberry festival.
The Bryer Patch, located on Boyd Farm in Newberry, is known for its produce and flower picking. Each year, the Boyd family's festival brings together the local community to enjoy a relaxing day out in the sun. The selection of vendors, live music, rides, animals and u-pick strawberries made the festival enticing to all ages.
Heather Boyd, 40, co-owns Boyd Farm with her husband, Travis Boyd, 46. Both she and her husband grew up on farms, with her husband being a fourth-generation farmer, she said. They created The Bryer Patch, which is named after their daughter, to support the 400-acre farm.
“We usually always put most of the money that we make back into the farm,” she said, “whether it’s updating fences, adding stuff here to The Bryer Patch for people to come enjoy it, tractors, equipment.”
Not only is the festival a way to support the family farm, she said, but it’s an opportunity for everyone to relax and enjoy the beautiful land, outdoors and weather.
“This is a place we want you to bring your kids and family,” Boyd said.
Jiayang Li, a 33-year-old mother and assistant professor of landscape architecture at UF, was among about 1,000 people expected at the festival Saturday. After picking four pounds of strawberries with her kids, she enjoyed a moment in the shade while her children played in the play paddock, which featured inflatable slides, basketball, bubble-blowing and more.
Li said she really appreciated all of the kid-tailored experiences. The farm had a greater diversity of activities compared to other farms she visited, she said.
"They also have a really shady area, which I prefer,” she said. “Most of the farms are really exposed."
Fellow mother and paralegal Rain Contreras, 31, also picked strawberries with her family and friends at the festival. She attended gatherings like these as a kid and wanted to provide the same experience for her 2-year-old daughter Nora, she said.
She said people don’t get together and go outside as much as they used to, and events like this help bring people closer.
“I think of warmth when I come here. … It’s just because everyone’s happy,” she said.
Elaina Shuman, a 22-year-old child care worker and Gainesville resident, attended the festival because she wanted to bring her 2-year-old niece strawberry picking for the first time. She said her niece wouldn’t stop picking berries, even when her basket was full.
Beyond the berries, Shuman also said the festival is a great opportunity to have fun and meet new people in the community, even unexpectedly.
“We just met a kid that actually goes to my day care,” she said.
While parents and children lined up for homemade milkshakes and hayrides, teenagers joined in on the fun too. Renata Zanin, an 18-year-old Santa Fe College health sciences freshman, enjoyed the day with a friend.
When they arrived, they immediately went over to pet the animals, she said, including her favorite, Mocha the brown cow. Zanin also said she enjoyed taking in the atmosphere and being one with nature, including the flowers and butterflies around her.
“I feel like I’m in a Disney movie,” she said.
Zanin said events like this are especially welcoming for students who don’t have family nearby, where the fun is contagious and it’s easy to connect with others.
Overall, the strawberry festival was a celebration of community. Visitors came together as they watched dozens of cows trail along on hayrides, sipped cold strawberry lemonade under the sun and giggled as ponies Blondie and Horseshoe nibbled feed from their hands.
For those who missed Saturday’s event, The Bryer Patch, located at 5700 SW 250th St. in Newberry, is open every weekend to pick strawberries at $4 per pound this season. Its final strawberry festival is March 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $12 for ages 13 and up, $10 for ages three to 12 and free for ages two and under, with a military discount available.
Jayden Cáceres is a contributing writer for The Alligator.
