[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10112]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     THE PUNGO STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THELMA D. DRAKE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2008

  Mrs. DRAKE. Madam Speaker, 25 years ago, in the rural area of 
Virginia Beach, Virginia, know as Pungo, several locals decided that 
the rest of the community should be aware of Pungo's delicious 
treasure: its strawberries. In 1983, locals began an annual festival, 
which at the time drew 2,500 people. In the years to follow, the 
festival's attendance grew to roughly 120,000 people each year. Today, 
the festival hosts many family-oriented activities, including a 
carnival, youth art show, and a multi-million dollar military display.
  In 1985, it was deemed necessary to establish a festival board in 
order to accommodate the festival's growth as well as establish 
themselves as a nonprofit organization. To this end, the festival gives 
back to the community in the form of scholarships for students and 
makes contributions to other community-oriented programs.
  To this date, the Pungo Strawberry Festival has donated over $550,000 
to the community. I want to take this moment to recognize the people 
behind this festival, some of whom have been involved since the 
beginning, and to inform my colleagues that this year the festival will 
be celebrating its 25th anniversary with, as always, an emphasis on the 
men and women serving in the military. The theme this year will be 
``Celebrating 25 years of Freedom, Family, and Fun.'' I support the 
community of Pungo in their efforts and look forward to attending the 
festival this year.

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