By Rick Wright

Staff Writer

Some people came to the second annual Strawberry Fest at Maxwell’s Farms in Cape Elizabeth last Saturday to eat. Some came to buy arts and crafts. Some came to socialize with friends and family members.

But 4-year-old Andy Brooking came to dance. 

While parents and kids sat on bales of hay watching, Brooking, a Cape Elizabeth resident, danced to the songs of children’s musician Matt Loosigian. Using a large patch of grass in front of the stage as his dance floor, Brooking entertained the crowd and himself by clapping his hands, swaying and moving to the music.

Looking cool in his oversized sunglasses, Brooking was totally uninhibited and clearly enjoying the moment as his mother Jennifer Brooking watched nearby.

“He loves music,” his mother said. “He’s going to be on Broadway some day.”

The Brookings were among hundreds of people who attended the festival, sponsored by the Cape Farm Alliance.

The mission of the alliance is to bring community members together to seek ways to ensure the viability and sustainability of Cape Elizabeth’s agricultural assets, according to its website.

Cape Elizabeth resident Dody Simpson was one of the faces in the crowd Saturday, attending her first Strawberry Fest.

“It’s a wonderful thing. I love that country music down there and all these wonderful crafts. Everybody’s very talented. And of course, we all love strawberries,” Simpson said.

The all-day event included lots of music, wagon rides and 45 artisans selling jewelry, paintings, pottery and more.

Many food vendors were also on hand satiating appetites by offering everything from pizza to hot dogs to the featured food of the day – strawberries.

Cape Elizabeth vendors sold strawberry sweets in many different forms, including strawberry shortcake by St. Albans Church; rhubarb strawberry sorbet by Kettle Cove Creamery; strawberry glazed tartlets by the Good Table restaurant and fresh strawberries by the quart from Maxwell’s Farm.

A silent auction, community potluck dinner and open farm activities at several other Cape Elizabeth farms were also on the schedule.

The most popular venue early in the day was the children’s tent where a large crowd of parents and kids gathered to engage in a variety of art and science activities.

Some children waited patiently in two different lines to get their faces painted while others planted seeds and constructed necklaces. 

Michael van Huystee, of Cape Elizabeth, attending the festival for the first time, helped his son Alex, 4, make a bookmark with a lobster and a strawberry on it.

“(Alex) thought that would be good for today. He picked them. They have a whole bunch of different vegetables and stuff and he just picked what he thought would be fun,” van Huystee said.  

 Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237 or news@inthesentry.com.