The Cathedral Women of Christ Church Cathedral will host the 56th Annual Strawberry Festival on Thursday, June 9, 2022, on Monument Circle. This marks the return of the festival to its pre-pandemic, second Thursday in June tradition. The original strawberry shortcakes will be offered for sale from 9 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., or until supplies run out.

The "Works" costs $8 for a treat of homemade shortcake, strawberries, ice cream and whipped topping. Single items are available á la carte for $2 each. Cash and card are accepted.

As always, all proceeds beyond the costs of the festival go directly to charity. In years past, the Cathedral Women have supported dozens of organizations around Central Indiana with their Strawberry Festival Grants.

Bulk and pre-sale orders of "The Works" in quantities over 10 can be purchased ahead of time by emailing indystrawberryfestival@gmail.com.

The First inaugural Strawberry Festival was held on Thursday, June 10, 1965. The festival was the idea of parishioner Pat Harding, who suggested the church host a strawberry festival, such as they had back in her hometown of Lymington, England. With Nate Gore, Church Sexton, the Cathedral Women thought they could both raise funds and have some fun.

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 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 10,000 homemade shortcakes and will serve nearly 4 tons of strawberries.