The strawberry crop is down by almost 50 percent compared to 2009 for Teen Challenge International of Mid-America.

But that hasn't stopped plans for the ministry to hold its annual strawberry festival Saturday.

"The festival is a nice, relaxed day in the country," executive director Jack Smart said. "People get to see the ministry up close and get a feel for what's taking place in the lives of our students."

Every year the residential program for recovering drug users sells its strawberries to the public. Sales take place at an area stand and during the annual Teen Challenge Strawberry Festival. Smart blames much of the decrease on clover and other weeds taking over the strawberry fields.

In fact, nature hasn't been kind to the ministry's strawberry-planting efforts for three of the past four years.

In 2007 unusually low temperatures resulted in cooler soil, which delayed some crops by two to three weeks. In 2008 an early April frost severely damaged most crops in the area, including 70 percent of Teen Challenge's strawberry crop.

But in 2009 the organization harvested 43,000 quarts of strawberries. A good harvest yields 30,000 quarts; Smart said Teen Challenge will fall short of that level by 8,000 to 10,000 quarts this year.

As for this year's 20th annual festival, it will feature a similar schedule to 2009's event. Held at the organization's campus off County Road 621 near Cape Girardeau, the festival will have music by the ministry's New Creations choir, an opportunity for children to pick a quart of strawberries from the ministry's fields, wagon rides, free strawberry shortcakes, a barbecue lunch, jumping mules, a bluegrass band and puppets. People will also have a chance to win two quarts of strawberries. The festival kicks off at 9 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m.

The festival takes place during the ministry's 40th year.

While Teen Challenge was founded in 1958 in New York, the local ministry began on Oct. 5, 1970, on a 263-acre farm donated by Roy P. Johnson and his wife, where the ministry has its offices today. More than 5,000 men have been a part of Teen Challenge since it began.

For more information about the free strawberry festival, call 335-6508.

bblackwell@semissourian.com

243-8600

Pertinent address:

303 MATC Lane, Cape Girardeau, MO