Strawberry Miler's get the green light

Saturday, May 23, 1998, Buckhannon
Strawberry Festival Mile

The Stawberry Mile is only in its 2nd year, but with 10,000 spectators watching the action, it's sure to get sweeter every year. Okay, we'll admit that all the on-lookers are actually awaiting the annual parade for the 57th West Virginia Strawberry Festival, but the runners don't mind the attention. Here's how it works: at 12:00 noon they start the 1 mile race right down the parade route, next comes the car show, then all the bands, floats, unicycles, horses, clowns, and the rest of the parading entertainment. If you've never been to Buckhannon on a Memorial Day weekend, we'll just tell you that they celebrate strawberrys in a very big way!

A strawberry decorated stroller ready for a fast ride

The race has a small elevation drop and makes for some nice times. This year's winner clocked in at 4:42, not quite good enough to eclipse last year's course best of 4:28. But we have a feeling that next year this record will fall and the individual who succeeds at this will be rewarded with no less than a new pair of running shoes. So we'll see you in 1999 and maybe you can cool down afterwards by taking in the many sites and pagentry of the annual Strawberry Festival.

Seth, Heather, Ben, Brandon and Julie (left to right) celebrate a mile well done