1,250 feet — that’s all the way through downtown Lynden.
From the Dutch Village Mall on 7th & Front all the way to Colony House Furniture on 3rd & Front near the museum, a world-record berry shortcake will block the road on Saturday, June 4th during this year’s Farmers Day Parade.
“Since we have the world’s sweetest strawberries and shortcake is such a wonderful way to enjoy them, this will be a fun way to celebrate Lynden’s 125th anniversary”
Lynden is known for its berries, dairies, and a love of food — so the giant treat seemed like a great way to gather and celebrate as a community. Gary Vis, executive director of the Lynden Chamber of Commerce, explains that the shortcake will be topped with locally grown strawberries, plus local ice cream and whipped cream. The community will then be invited to eat free servings of the strawberry shortcake.
Plenty of people should be around to help eat the shortcake, since it will be built immediately following the popular Farmers Day Parade, which draws up to 10,000 people annually. The parade, which celebrates our local agricultural heritage, will start at 10:30 a.m. and conclude around 12 noon.
“Once we’ve built the 1,250-foot shortcake, photographers and a drone will produce the documentation we need to submit to Guiness World Records,” Vis said. “Then volunteers will begin serving free strawberry shortcake to everyone who stays.”
How will this actually be done, you may ask?
The world-record dessert will be placed in sterilized new vinyl gutters on top of tables, running the length of downtown Lynden.
Local companies and organizations are partnering together to make the event free for the public and even benefit the community for years to come by donating the gutters to local nonprofits focused on housing. The gutters are being donated by Westside Building Supply and one of their suppliers, Genova Products. Strawberries are being donated by Curt Maberry Farm, and the Lynden Dutch Bakery will bake the shortcake, which will be topped by internationally loved Edaleen Dairy ice cream and Darigold whipped cream. Darigold receives most of the milk produced by Whatcom County’s dairies and also has a large plant in Lynden that produces dry milk products.
While Lynden is known for a variety of berries, including raspberries, blueberries and strawberries, the June time-frame of the Farmers Day Parade will fit just right for local strawberries. Then, the Raspberry Festival will showcase the area’s abundant raspberry harvest the following month in July.
Save the date in your calendar now! June 4th, 2016 will be a sweet one!