Let the judging begin
Let the judging begin
By LAURA KIRBY, DMG Writer
CHASSELL — When Kathy Ohtonen takes her cart around the strawberry fields this week, she’ll be looking for the best of the best because come 5 p.m. Friday at the Chassell pavilion, her quart will be up against the best in the area.
“Judges look for uniformity in size, color and overall appearance among other things,” says Walt Kuntze, organizer of this year’s strawberry judging competition at this weekend’s Copper Country Strawberry Festival in Chassell.
Since the festival’s beginnings more than half a century ago, local strawberry farmers like Kathy and Henry Ohtonen have brought their best picks to the competition. Judging, usually done by someone from the Michigan State University Extension or Farm Bureau will assess eight-quart flats and single quarts. They’ll look for uniformity in each entry since they are grouped by variety, explains Henry.
“The Cavendish should be roundish,” he said for example. “And you don’t want any brown around the stems.”
Entries from each group are forwarded into a “best of the best category” says Kuntze.
The sweepstakes winner gets a $100 bond and has his or her name added to a traveling trophy.
Ohtonen’s strawberries have been top pick in the competition for many years. There is no special recipe for making them grow any juicier, said Kathy, but she does have one or two tricks for the quarts she’ll pick Friday, fresh for the competition at 5 p.m.
“I go through berries and pick all the best ones and put them in one carton,” she said.
“Mostly what you want are nice big berries,” agreed Mary Crane, who said she’ll also likely enter some of hers into the competition.
Sweepstake winners are later auctioned off during the queen-crowning ceremony with the money going to Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester, Mich.
The second flat is auctioned for the Chassell Student Scholarship Fund with remaining auction proceeds put toward Chassell Lions community projects, Kuntze said.
Strawberry desserts, pies, jams and cakes donated by locals can be taken home by the highest bidder at the strawberry auction starting at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the pavilion.
Food features heavily on the weekend’s agenda, and has been a mainstay of the festival itself, organizers say.
Strawberry shortcake is served throughout the weekend by festival organizers the Chassell Lions Club in the Centennial Park, where brats, hot dogs, pasties, pizza and cotton candy are also available.
Friday afternoon’s Fish Boil starts at 4 p.m. and once again in the park the Chassell Recreation Club will offer a non-traditional dessert after Saturday’s Strawberry Parade, by selling barbecue chicken to benefit local cross-country and snowmobile trails.
Other mainstay vendors at the park include the annual arts and crafts exhibit, which runs for the festival’s duration and features handwoven rugs, baskets, paintings and dried arrangements.
Laura Kirby can be reached at lkirby@mininggazette.com
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