Celebrating the Strawberry: Plant City church celebrates 50 years with Florida Strawberry Festival

PLANT CITY, Fla. - For half a century, St. Clement Catholic Church in Plant City has been creating out of this world shortcakes and memories at the Florida Strawberry Festival.

"We like to feel that it's the best shortcake, and we give them a choice of cake or biscuit," said volunteer Joseph Herrmann.

"We're the only ones at the festival for the last 50 years that you make your own," said Project Coordinator Kevin McFaul.

The church's Make Your Own Strawberry Shortcake booth at the festival has become one of the most popular spots.

"Some people would describe it as mayhem. We have people dedicated to keeping people in the line," said Herrmann.

He is one of the church volunteers who has taken part in this project since the beginning in 1974.

"We started at the men's club downtown at the old red church as we call it now. It was just a way to make some money for the church, and we didn't have any fundraisers back then," said Herrmann.

READ: Celebrating the strawberry: Parkesdale Farm Market strawberry shortcake

"My parents moved here in 1970, and they were some of the first people to help start up this make your own shortcake project. We would come down and we would help clean the berries. There are so many jobs available that people just don't know little jobs," said volunteer Mary Werstein.

One big job isn't as time-consuming as it used to be.

"The first couple of years, we had to slice our berries by hand. Well, now we have a mechanical cutter. It cuts them more uniform. You get better production out of a berry," said Herrmann.

READ: Celebrating the strawberry: Fancy Farms Market's strawberry cookies

The volunteers make sure the product is just right.

"About three times a day we have ladies that taste our product and berries, will be really sweet sometimes really not sweet. Throughout the day we'll adjust from a pound of sugar to two pounds of sugar, four pounds of sugar. And that's where our special recipe all comes out," said McFaul.

Working with the strawberries isn't the only sweet part.

"I love volunteering for it because you meet so many people," said longtime volunteer Barbara Reynolds.

Including former presidents and first ladies.

"One thing I remember is my wife and I were both working shift out there, and Laura Bush came, and she sat there waiting for her husband's entourage, and she talked to us for five, ten minutes," said Herrmann.

Because of these fruits of labor over the decades, the church has been able to expand.

"Our project is built on God's faith but strawberry's money. And all of the buildings out here have benefited," said McFaul.

The St. Clement Make Your Own Strawberry Shortcake booth will be open during the Florida Strawberry Festival from Feb. 29 - March 10.

For more information, click here.

SIGN UP: Click here to sign up for the FOX 13 daily newsletter

WATCH FOX 13 NEWS