INDIANOLA — Strawberries were the center of attention during a festival dedicated to the delicious berry Saturday. They attracted the young and old, church-goers and community members. The whipped cream and homemade shortcake definitely didn’t detract from the event either.

“We come every year,” said Suquamish resident Matt Pederson. “The shortcake’s good, the pies are good, the coffee’s decent. It’s just a fun event we go to every year.”

Pederson was just one of about 340 people who showed up for the 31st Annual Strawberry Festival held at the Indianola Living Hope Church, said event chairwoman Kim Bayne.

“It went really well,” she said. “There were a few new faces, but for the most part it was people we recognize from church or the community.”

Among the new faces were Mike Schleckser and Beverly Michaelson from Port Townsend. They had been crabbing in the area, and saw signs for the strawberry free-for-all.

“This is excellent dessert,” Michaelson said. “We’re having a blast.”

“It’s fantastic to see the community coming together like this,” Schleckser said. “You don’t see that as often anymore. This is a nice gathering.”

“We’re definitely coming back next year,” Michaelson added.

For some, strawberry shortcake was a well-known dessert, and they dug in with relish, knowing it would be delicious. For one 10-year-old, however, this was her first experience with the sticky pleasure.

“I’ve never had (strawberry shortcake) before,” Hannah Mueller said. “This is my first shortcake. It’s really good.”

Adding to the ambiance and sense of community was the Ellis family. Pastor Rick Ellis and his father, Rolland Ellis, entertained the strawberries eating audience with the guitar and banjo, playing old songs from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. They serenaded while friends, family and neighbors around them snacked on the sweet dessert.

“(Rolland) knows songs from those eras,” Ellis said, noting that it was because of his father that Ellis picked up guitar during that time.

The music and the shortcake were not the only draws to the festival. There were also homemade pies and tortes for sale, if one felt the shortcake was not enough. And many felt that way.

“Almost all of them are gone,” said church member Cheri Bayne during the festival. By about 2 p.m., only about 30 pies remained and a handful of tortes. This year, instead of baking the pies ahead of time, the church ladies who do the honors every year decided to dedicate a day to the creation of the baked goods.

“We decided we try it this way this year,” said church member Farrel Alexander.

“We started baking at 7 a.m. Thursday,” she said, noting that they continued to bake through the day, using every available oven.

Bayne said that of the 89 pies and 21 tortes, only six pies were left over from the berry celebration.

“Three apple and three cherry,” she said. “We’ll probably used them. We have lunch at the church every Sunday. Instead of having a quick cookie and coffee, where you don’t really have time to sit and talk, we make time to have lunch. We’ll eat them then.”

The festival was served as a fund-raiser for missions that the church is involved with, and Bayne said about $1,500 was brought in to help the cause. Next year, she added, they hope to have more activities, not just showcasing the berries dressed up in their shortcake.