Larry Odom lives 5 miles from where he grew up. His farm, Holland Bottom, is recognizable among Cabot residents with its produce stand right off of Bill Foster Memorial Highway, and every year, people await the farm’s first crop of strawberries.
The produce stand is a small aspect of the farm. Behind and beside the stand, rows of crops are tended throughout the various growing seasons. A dirt trail leads away from the main road toward the Odom homestead, and beyond the house, peach, plum and nectarine trees are starting to bloom, and tomato plants are thriving.
“I’ve had people get married here at the peach orchard,” Odom said. “I’m a justice of the peace, so I’ve married a lot of couples. It’s beautiful.”
Across Bill Foster Memorial Highway, Odom and his workers tend to the strawberry plants. Strawberries are one of Odom’s specialties, and he said he has shipped berries to as far away as China and Nepal.
Holland Bottom Farm is one of three growers represented at the 13th annual Cabot Strawberry Festival. The others are Barnhill Orchards and The Cabot Patch. The festival takes place April 23-25, with most of the activities on April 25.
The Junior Auxiliary of Cabot sponsors the festival, and JA Publicity Chairwoman Melissa Davis said the festival is one of the biggest events the organization puts on every year. All of the proceeds from the festival go straight back into the community through JA projects.
“We’ve got quite a few service projects that we do,” Davis said. “We do Stock the Pantry. We do Christmas Blessing, which is where we buy Christmas presents for kids. This year, we bought presents for 122 kids. We have our reading program, where we go to all of the first-graders in Cabot and read a book to them, and then they get to take the book home. We have the Smile Program, where a dentist will come in and give them toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss. We’ve also got Child Welfare, which is if one of the schools needs something like lice kits or a family goes through a fire and loses everything, they’ll call us, and we’ll get gift cards and provide them with what they need to get back on their feet.”
Odom said he is impressed with how the Junior Auxiliary gives back to the community, and that is why he is so excited to be a part of the festival each year. He said he knows firsthand how much it means to children to know that people in the community are looking out for their basic needs.
“There were some years we didn’t have shoes,” he said. “Some winters, we had to tie our shoes up with wire so they wouldn’t fall apart. These JA girls are giving back, and that’s important.”
The festival will take place at Veterans Park Community Center in Cabot and is free to attend. Carnival rides will be open from 6-9 p.m. April 23 and 24, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 25. Also on April 25, the festivities will start with the new Run for the Berries 5K Fun Run at 8 a.m.
“It’s chipped timing on a certified course,” Davis said. “It’s exciting. We’ll have T-shirts for people who sign up in time.”
Vendors will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 25, and many will sell strawberries and strawberry-themed products. All three local strawberry growers will be present, and the auxiliary will sell strawberry shortcakes.
On April 25, the Strawberry Fest Pageant will take place at 10 a.m., and the band Go4Broke will perform from 3:30-6 p.m.
Davis said planning for the Cabot Strawberry Festival starts in January, and JA members are busy with logistics until the festival takes place the last weekend in April.
“It’s a good hectic,” Davis said. “We have two chairmen this year — Stephanie Belden and Amanda Elizandro. We have different committees. It’s busy, but it’s fun.”
Parking for the festival will be at Cabot High School. For more information, pageant registration, vendor applications and 5K entry forms, visit www.juniorauxiliaryofcabot.com/strawberryfest.html.