SJR85INTRODUCED
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FG0B5D-1
By Senator Gudger
RFD:
First Read: 24-May-23
2023 Regular Session
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5 FG0B5D-1 05/23/2023 EVP (L)evp 2023-2270
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SJR____ DECLARING CULLMAN COUNTY STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL AS THE
ALABAMA STATE STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL.
WHEREAS, when the City of Cullman, Alabama, was
founded, settlers soon realized that its sandy, fertile soil
was ideal for growing strawberries; in 1897, The Cullman
Tribune reported that strawberries were more profitable than
cotton; Cullman's location along the railroad allowed for
them to be shipped nationwide; and
WHEREAS, Cullman hosted its first Strawberry Jubilee
in May 1905 and by the time Cullman launched its inaugural
Strawberry Festival on May 13, 1939, there were
approximately 22,000 acres of strawberry fields in
production; the early celebrations included a softball game,
a fiddler's contest, radio and television programs, a large
parade with prizes for the best float, high school bands,
and community street dancing and singing; there was an
historical pageant, a Queen's Ball, and a Grand March; and
WHEREAS, on May 1, 1947, Governor "Big Jim" Folsom
entertained the crowd of the 7th annual festival as a member
of a band called the Strawberry Pickers; and
WHEREAS, Cullman County has a national reputation for
growing the highest quality strawberries and is one of
Alabama's top producers of the delicate, delicious crop; and
WHEREAS, today, the Cullman Strawberry Festival is a
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community event that attracts more than 25,000 attendees
from 20 different states; participants experience a festival
full of entertainment, concerts, cooking contests, artisan
and craft vendors, a Miss Strawberry Festival pageant, and
lots of locally-grown strawberries; this annual festival is
enjoying a modern resurgence while celebrating the rich
history of strawberry production in Cullman; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, BOTH
HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, That we are proud to declare the
Cullman County Strawberry Festival as the Alabama State
Strawberry Festival, and this resolution serves as evidence
of this declaration and our high esteem for the historic
festival and the community of Cullman County.
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