LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Thousands of residents and visitors will have a chance to partake of the giant strawberry shortcake that placed the municipality in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2004 for having prepared and served to the public the largest shortcake in the global village then.
Mayor Romeo K. Salda said the serving of the giant strawberry shortcake which will be open to the public at around 11 A.M. of March 23, 2019 is part of this year’s edition of the town’s Strawberry festival.
“We hope that we will be able to entice more people to visit our municipality and enjoy the activities lined up for this year’s Strawberry Festival because they will surely have fun by participating in the month-long events that were scheduled for the celebration,” Mayor Salda stressed.
Councilor Estela Adiban said that the giant strawberry cake that will be served to the public will be weighing some 2.5 tons and is expected to have a size of 1.8 meters by 1.5 meters.
She added that the giant strawberry shortcake will be baked by Eric Espadero of Valley Bread and the same will be served at the Lednickey Hall of the Municipal Hall starting 11 o’clock in the morning of March 23, 2019.
Mayor Salda disclosed that organizers of the Strawberry Festival will be charring those interested to partake of the giant strawberry shortcake P20 per slice to allow them to recover part of the expenses incurred in the preparation and serving of the cake considering that there will some 16,000 slices that could be produced by the cake that will be baked for the said purpose.
The Strawberry Festival will fire off on March 4, 2019 with an ecumenical mass at the municipal gymnasium followed by the opening of the strawberry lane at the municipal grounds that will run through up to the end of the month.
The theme of this year’s Strawberry Festival that runs up to the end of March is ‘La Trinidad; My Home…My Pride.”
On March 6-7, 2019, there will be a municipal wide mural contest which will be followed by the jobs fair, search for the biggest and sweetest strawberry and flower arrangement contest on March 8, 2019 as well as the duting tan dukto and fun run on March 9, 2019.
Interested couples could participate in the mass wedding on March 13, 2019 which will be followed by the valley clean up drive and battle of the bands on March 15, 2019.
The traditional Dumba ni Kabajo will be held on March 16-17, 2019 which will be followed by the dog show, acoustic band competition.
On March 18, 2019, there will be a civic parade that will be followed by the main program and a multi-cultural competition for the benefit of the people.
Aside from the serving of the giant strawberry shortcake on March 23, 2019, other activities lined up on the same day include drum and lyre and streetdancing competition and float parade and Search for Mr. and Ms. La Trinidad.
A wine fair, the traditional closing program and the barangay homecoming night will be held on March 29, 2019.
By HENT
Banner photo: La Trinidad Mayor Romeo Salda, together with the local chefs and bakers, leads the ceremonial slicing of the giant strawberry shortcake last March 19, 2017. The giant strawberry shortcake was a replica of the cake which landed as biggest strawberry shortcake at the Guinness Book of World Records in 2004. REDJIE MELVIC CAWIS, PIA-CAR.
