INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The 58th Indy Strawberry Fest took place on downtown’s Monument Circle on Thursday, serving thousands of strawberry shortcakes to Hoosiers.

By 1 p.m., organizers say, the event had raised more than $60,000. That’s how much was raised in 2023.

People could get iconic strawberry shortcake, strawberries, ice cream, and many more “berry tasty” treats. 

Entertainment was provided within SPARK on the Circle, located on the northwest quadrant of Monument Circle, next to the festival. 

The sweet treats were sold from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., or until the supplies ran out. 

“It feels great and it brings the community together and I think that’s really special,” said Elise Shrock, director of communications at Christ Church Cathedral, prior to the event.

Many people waited in line for “The Works,” which included homemade shortcakes, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and strawberries.

The festival accepted both cash and cards. All of the proceeds, beyond the cost of the festival, will go directly to charity.

“We were able to give about $60,000 in grants just last year alone, thanks to the number of folks who came out to just simply eat strawberry shortcake,” Shrock said.

Last year’s grantees include El Sistema Indianapolis, Outreach Inc., Brightlane Learning, Alternatives Incorporated, Coburn Place, and Indiana Women in Need Foundation. Shrock says many of those organizations come back to help volunteer. 

“A lot of volunteering is from those organizations. They send their folks to us to volunteer. So the give and take and the reciprocal nature of what we can do and form community is really a testament to how we can live into our mission to glorify god, serve our neighbor and transform our city,” Shrock said.

The inaugural Strawberry Festival was June 10, 1965. The festival was the idea of parishioner Pat Harding, who suggested the church host a strawberry festival as it had back in her hometown of Lymington, England.

The Cathedral women baked and sold 100 homemade shortcakes on the church lawn for the first festival in 1965. They decided to host it on a Thursday night to capitalize on the evening hours of the J.C. Penney department store on Monument Circle.

Within two hours, they had sold out of shortcakes. 

This year, the congregation baked over 15,000 shortcakes and served nearly four tons of strawberries.