Kennewick Prepares for Strawberry Day
After local supply issues caused price spikes last year, the Commercial Club sets a new date to ensure the Northwest stays well-stocked.
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Wednesday, June 6, is to be observed throughout the Northwest as Kennewick Strawberry Day. It is expected that by that time, the picking season in the Kennewick-Richland district will have reached its height and the markets of the Northwest will be sufficiently supplied so that the price of berries will not be out of reach of the modest pocketbook. Strawberry day was observed last year for the first time, and commission houses, retailers, hotels, restaurants, soft drink parlors and railway companies responded to the call and made it a success. The only handicap last year was that weather conditions caused the supply to fall short, leading to criticism that prices were manipulated, though they were actually due to a shortage of stocks. To avoid this, the Commercial club has set the date for when the picking season is well advanced and shipments will be heavy. A committee composed of A. R. Gardner, E. W. Jimmbath and Lee M. Lampson was named at Wednesday’s luncheon to spread the news. Daily pickings have jumped to nearly 1,000 crates, and with favorable weather, the peak of the season is expected by the middle of next week.
“It is expected... that the markets of the Northwest will be sufficiently well supplied so that the price of berries will not be out of reach of the modest pocketbook.”
Agricultural marketing and supply chain logistics remain a bedrock of the Tri-Cities economy. While Strawberry Day is no longer a major regional event, the effort to balance local harvest output with Northwest market pricing reflects the ongoing tension between industrial agriculture and regional food accessibility.
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