OUR STORY
CELEBRATING & SUPPORTING LOUISIANA STRAWBERRY FARMERS
since 1972
THE FIRST FESTIVAL
In 1971, the Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce and the Ponchatoula Jaycees joined forces to begin planning the first-ever Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival. The original committee included a Chairman and three members from each of the sponsoring groups, who planned the festival with a $500 budget and the help of several local community members.
The inaugural festival was held in April of 1972 on the first block of North 6th Street. The festival had only 11 booths, and the parade consisted of 65 units from all over the state. The two-day event kicked off with a baseball game between the local Southeastern Louisiana University and Wisconsin State with then-Lieutenant Governor Jimmy Fitzmorris throwing out the first pitch. By the end of the weekend, the festival had drawn an estimated crowd of about 15,000 people over its two-day span.
From its humble beginnings, the festival has blossomed into a Louisiana celebration second only to Mardi Gras in its magnitude. The festival draws in over 300,000 people annually, operates on a $300,000+ budget, and features over 40 separate booths operated by non-profit organizations.
The People Who
MADE IT HAPPEN
INAUGURAL FESTIVAL BOARD
Chairman Ron Morgan | Dolores Gainey, Sonny Wells, and Carl Wells representing the Chamber | Ronnie Drude, Robin Hudson and Richard Stilley representing the Ponchatoula Jaycees
INAUGURAL FESTIVAL ROYALTY
Queen Sissy Dufreche | King Fred Beauchamp | Princess Sandy Smith | First-Runner-Up Gay Gordon | Second-Runner-Up Carolyn Prine
THE STRAWBERRY CAPITAL
How Ponchatoula Became
“After being elected City Councilman in 1968, I found the businesses in downtown Ponchatoula dwindling to an all-time low and the spirit of the citizens also diminishing. I wanted to find a project that would renew the spirit of the beautiful city.” Dr. Charles H. Gideon, City Councilman, 1966-1972
The neighboring city of Hammond was known as the “Strawberry Capital of Louisiana.” After speaking with several Ponchatoula strawberry farmers, Dr. Gideon began to question whether the title belonged to Ponchatoula. Upon further research, he learned that in 1967, Ponchatoula had shipped 194 railroad carloads of strawberries compared to Hammond’s 17 carloads, confirming his suspicions.
Thus began Dr. Gideon’s quest to transfer the official title of the Strawberry Capital from Hammond to Ponchatoula. After a few failed attempts to sway both the mayor of Hammond and the Commissioner of Agriculture, Dr. Gideon and the city council took matters into their own hands.
At the next council meeting in 1968, they passed an ordinance that declared Ponchatoula the “Strawberry Capital of the World.” Soon after, Dr. Gideon had finally succeeded in his appeal to the mayor of Hammond, who ultimately removed the title from their signs and emblems, symbolizing his victory.
"By obtaining the title, the pride has been restored to the citizens and the farmers who grow the luscious fruit and set the stage for second largest and most successful festival in the state of Louisiana, The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival.”
Dr. Charles H. Gideon, City Councilman, 1966-1972
