OUR STORY
CELEBRATING & SUPPORTING LOUISIANA STRAWBERRY FARMERS
since 1972
THE FIRST FESTIVAL
The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival traces its roots to 1971, when the Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce and the Ponchatoula Jaycees joined together with a shared vision of creating an event that would celebrate the area's rich strawberry farming heritage while bringing the community together. With an initial budget of just $500, a committee consisting of a chairman and three representatives from each organization, along with countless dedicated volunteers, began planning what would become one of Louisiana's most iconic festivals.
The first Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival was held in April 1972 on the first block of North 6th Street. The inaugural event featured just 11 booths and a parade of 65 entries from across Louisiana. The two-day celebration began with a baseball game between Southeastern Louisiana University and Wisconsin State, highlighted by then-Lieutenant Governor Jimmy Fitzmorris throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. By the close of the weekend, approximately 15,000 visitors had attended—far exceeding expectations and laying the foundation for decades of continued growth.
Today, the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival is recognized as one of Louisiana's premier events and is widely regarded as the state's largest harvest festival. Each April, Strawberry Festival weekend attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the official festival grounds in Memorial Park and along North Sixth Street, while also bringing substantial visitor activity throughout downtown Ponchatoula and the surrounding community, making it one of the state's largest festivals and transforming our hometown into a vibrant celebration of agriculture, family, music, food, and community.
What began as a modest community event has evolved into a festival with an annual operating budget well exceeding $500,000, made possible through the dedication of hundreds of volunteers and the support of local businesses and sponsors. More than 40 booths, operated exclusively by qualified non-profit organizations, provide fundraising opportunities that benefit schools, churches, civic clubs, youth organizations, and charitable groups throughout the region. The festival not only celebrates Louisiana's famous strawberry industry but also generates millions of dollars in economic impact while showcasing the hospitality, volunteer spirit, and traditions that have defined Ponchatoula for generations.
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
THANK YOU FOR DECADES OF FUN!
