Hulling Night: A Sweet Hometown Strawberry Festival Tradition

MATTITUCK, NY — It's a sweet tradition savored by generations of North Fork residents: Hulling night, the event that kicks off the 65th Annual Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Festival.

This year's Strawberry Festival will take place from Thursday through Sunday on Father's Day weekend at 1175 Route 48 in Mattituck; all proceeds will be donated to charitable and community causes.

Hulling Night is a cherished annual tradition during which scores of volunteers from the community — many of whom have been involved for generations — help hull about 100,000 berries that will be used to make shortcake and alcohol-free daiquiris for the festival.

From the tiniest baby, to tables filled with generations of family members who consider hulling a time-honored tradition, and Strawberry Queens past and present, Hulling Night is about so much more than strawberries. It's about community, about the deep ties that bind families and friends to the North Fork, it's about volunteering for an event that raises funds every year to help those in need.

Katherine Fritz, director of development at the Guide Dog Foundation and America's VetDogs, spoke of the great impact the Lions Club has made in making a difference. "The Lions Club has been supportive of our organization for years and years, donating over $100,000 in just the last 20 years. They are amazing supporter; they help us place guide and service dogs for people with disabilities across the nation," she said.

Rob Nine, president of the Mattituck Lions Club this year, said he loves the festival because it brings the community together.

"We get hundreds tonight, and over the weekend, we get thousands of volunteers that come out to help us raise lots of money that we use to help a lot of organizations, both locally and around the globe, as well. It's really a fantastic community event — and we hope that you come out and see us."

The carnival and food court will be open on Thursday night until 10:30 p.m. with special preview pricing. A "lite" fireworks show will take place at 9:15 p.m., weather permitting.

The full festival takes place Friday night from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., and, in addition to the carnival, will include craft and business vendors, live entertainment and sales of strawberry shortcake, chocolate-covered strawberries, alcohol-free daiquiris, strawberry pies and pints of fresh, local berries. A "great" fireworks show will take place at 10 p.m., weather permitting.

Saturday's events include the crowning of the 2019 to 2020 Strawberry Queen at 3 p.m., and the return of the Shortcake Eating Contest, presented by by Major League Eating at 5 pm. A "grand finale" fireworks show will take place at 10:15 p.m., weather permitting.

The festival wraps up on Sunday with Father's Day specials; dads get free admission and ride free with a paid child. The winner of the Big Bucks Raffle will be announced at 4 p.m.

"Attendees come back year after year to enjoy strawberries grown right here on Long Island, and have fun that the whole family can enjoy," said Steve Ammirati, festival chairman and first vice president of the Mattituck Lions Club. "We're very proud that this has become a signature event for our local community, and a family weekend that attracts our neighbors from all across Long Island."

The strawberry shortcake eating competition, back for its second year, will include the #5 ranked competitive eater in the world, Darron Breeden of Orange, VA and others who will compete for $3,500 in prize money.

Competitors will have eight minutes to consume as many individual strawberry shortcakes as
possible, and the winner will earn the title of World Strawberry Shortcake-Eating Champion.

At last year's championship, No. 2-ranked, Carmen Cincotti of Mays Landing, NJ took the title of
Strawberry Shortcake-Eating Champion after eating a World Record of 22 lbs. of strawberry
shortcake in eight minutes of sanctioned competition time.

In second place, No. 3-ranked, Geoffrey Esper fell short by just two lbs., eating 20 lbs. of strawberry shortcake.

"In the world of Major League Eating, strawberry shortcake marks a significant time in the league.
Not only is it one of our sweetest competitions, but it also marks the peak of summer," said Sam
Barclay, emcee at Major League Eating. "At last year's championship, we saw record-breaking
results; this year, our competitive eaters proudly set out to push that limit further."

For additional Strawberry Festival information, click here.