Fruitful Fun: Reid’s Orchard hosts 2nd 'Strawberry Bliss Market Day'

Though rain showers hindered some events throughout Owensboro at the start of the weekend, sunny skies and temperatures in the high 80s were present on Sunday in time for Reid’s Orchard’s second annual “Strawberry Bliss Market Day” to be in full effect.

The event, which debuted last year as part of the orchard’s 150th anniversary celebration, was highlighted by an abundance of local vendors, a variety of activities for children and a whole field of fresh strawberries ready to be picked and purchased.

For some, like the McDonalds, the market day was a way for the family of four to spend quality time together.

“We’ve done it before. We (came out here) last year (and) it was fantastic,” said Jesse McDonald, who was in attendance with his wife, Jessica McDonald, and their children — daughter, Reagan, 6, and son, Lincoln, 3. “... We got a big bucket of strawberries. We had to give (Reid’s) a little bit of extra money because I think on the way back our kids ate, maybe, a half a pound of strawberries before we got to weigh it.

“I was like, ‘Here’s a couple of extra bucks,’ ” Jesse McDonald said with a laugh. “... (Lincoln’s) face was covered in strawberries; you couldn’t (hide) it.”

Jessica McDonald, who said the family moved to Owensboro from Cincinnati two years ago, said Reid’s strawberries are “the best … I’ve ever had.”

“That’s why I’m back,” she said.

Jessica McDonald also found the event as an opportunity to be festive, as she elected to wear a knitted strawberry sweater vest for the occasion.

“... We are nothing, if not, on theme,” she chuckled. “... If there’s an event, we kind of like to dress up, and have fun and make a whole day out of it.”

Additionally, Jesse McDonald said he appreciated that the market day allowed his children to see where the fruit physically comes from.

“You go to the store and it’s in this little thing wrapped in cellophane,” he said. “It’s cool that the kids can see how strawberries are made — in the ground and then you pick them up off the ground. It’s awesome.”

Reagan McDonald, who already had half a bucket filled less than 10 minutes into picking, said she has a certain technique in determining which berries she wants to bring home.

“I have to look and see if it’s mushy and see if it has a little white,” she said. “If it has like a little white …, it’s OK.”

The orchard, which celebrated its final Apple Festival in October 2022 after 37 years, decided to host several smaller-scale events, such as “Strawberry Bliss,” to offer more programs throughout the year, according to Valerie Reid Reel, event coordinator for the orchard.

“We did quite a few last year and we were kind of testing them out to see which ones we liked,” she said. “The Sunday afternoons were the best ones.”

Reel said “Strawberry Bliss” was an all-day affair in 2023 and decided to schedule it this time around during the mid-afternoon and evening hours — which didn’t seem to deter attendance.

“There’s nothing to do on Sunday afternoons, so people are looking for something to do,” she said Sunday. “... There’s a good crowd (here).”

The event also saw an increase in vendors, with nearly 35 to 40 on-site including Bonnie Rae Boutique, which has been part of a number of market days since debuting last year.

Courtney Biggs, who opened the business almost four years ago, finds taking part in events like “Strawberry Bliss” helps with networking with the public and fellow locally-owned companies.

“I’m just online, so I have a website and I deliver around town,” she said. “... (Valerie) saw me at the White Chateau for (its) first spring market and said that she was going to start trying to do stuff like that here.

“It’s a good way for me to get my clothes (and accessories) out (there) and actually see people in-person,” Biggs said. “It’s nice to make connections ….”

Biggs has continued to participate in the market days at the orchard as she finds Reel and her family to have a positive reputation and are “so easy to work with.”

“They’re so nice (and) accommodating,” Biggs said. “A lot of people know about Reid’s, so you get a good crowd and I think it’s just a good time.”

Though the Apple Festival is no longer with the orchard, Reel finds the community has still been supportive of her family’s business and the new direction they have taken when it comes to creating new initiatives and programming for the public.

“... I’ve got a lot of good feedback on (this event) because it feels a little more laid back (and) they can actually enjoy the (the atmosphere of) orchard,” she said. “... It feels really good.”