by Debbie Graham

HUMBOLDT, Tenn. - The 70^th annual West Tennessee Strawberry Festival was held on May 11, 2007, at the Chalmus Davenport Arena in Humboldt, Tenn. The Strawberry Festival is a weeklong celebration that was founded in 1934 to promote the expanding strawberry industry and make Humboldt the center of the industry in West Tennessee. The event is held each year in May and includes parades, concerts, luncheons, pageants, a barbecue cook-off, 5K and 10K runs, tractor and car shows, a recipe contest, golf and checker tournaments, a carnival and an arts and crafts show. The horse show is the highlight of the week featuring some of West Tennessee’s finest Tennessee Walking Horse contenders.

The event was scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Approximately one hour before show time, heavy thunderstorms moved into several counties bringing heavy rainfall to the area. The show was delayed for 45 minutes as officials waited for the rain to subside. Walking horse trainers, exhibitors and spectators waited in their vehicles as show management made the decision not to cancel the event.  Fred and Vicki Benjamin, new show chairmen for the event, expressed their appreciation to the crowd for their patience. The duo did an excellent job of coordinating the 2007 edition. The rainy weather did not dampen the spirits of walking horse enthusiasts and midway through the show the light rain finally stopped.

Once again the show featured delicious concessions. The dessert booth had homemade cakes, pies, cookies, and strawberry shortcakes. A truck filled with freshly picked strawberries from the field sold all of these delicious items before the show began.

Michael Daniel judged the 20 walking and racking classes. Tony Neill was master of ceremonies while Mike Farley handled the duties of ringmaster. Diane Beaver entertained the crowd with her talents on the keyboard. Brian Hays was the farrier. Matt Morehead was the official photographer.

Formac Stables led the blue ribbon tally with 11 West Tennessee Strawberry Festival titles. Southern Serenity Ranch finished the night with four blues to their credit. Falcon Ridge earned three top honors. Dual blue ribbons were awarded to Woods Stables. Single awards went to Summer Crest Farms, Stanfill Stables, Smith Stables, Amanda Winters, Andy Simpson, Elizabeth Mullins, Wayne Clayton and Joe Clift.

In the final class of the evening Jimmy McConnell directed Jacked Up to the West Tennessee Strawberry Festival tricolor in the WHTA Riders’ Cup Walking Horse Stake class for Lee Wall and Mike McGartland.

Complete results follow and can be viewed at www.walkinghorsereport.com.