Farm unveils 'LOVE' sign ahead of Lincoln Strawberry Festival

As seen in Loudoun Times-Mirror

By Karen Graham

Strawberry season has arrived in Loudoun County, and Harriet and Tyler Wegmeyer of Wegmeyer Farms are ready to unveil an enormous strawberry "LOVE" sign and to host the first Lincoln Strawberry Festival.

The festival will be held over three days — Friday, May 17 to Sunday, May 19 — at a 50-acre farm centered on a historic barn. The couple purchased the property at 18451 Taylor Road near Lincoln about two years ago.

“We initially purchased the property to plant Christmas trees, which are growing and looking great,” Harriet Wegmeyer said of the farm, which is about a half-mile down the road from their home farm, a 25-acre property on Hughesville Road they purchased in 2004. They began selling pick-your-own strawberries there in 2009.

With the purchase of the Taylor Road property, the Wegmeyers started thinking about hosting a strawberry festival, a long-time dream that wouldn’t work on their home farm due to space constraints.

They realized that if they renovated the 200-year-old bank barn, they would have the space for the type of event they envisioned.

“We now have a space where we could do a festival with enough parking,” Harriet Wegmeyer said. “The old barn was in desperate need of repair, and it has been restored. It is absolutely beautiful. It is one of the oldest barns in western Loudoun and was once part of Taylor Farm.”

They also planted an acre of strawberries to provide enough for the festival.

Working with members of the Lincoln community, they have planned an old-fashioned festival that will benefit local nonprofit organizations and launch a scholarship program.

“This is what gets me excited,” she said. “It’s not about us. It’s about the community. It’s about hosting something for the community that will benefit local nonprofits and to offer scholarships for next year’s graduating class at Woodgrove and Loudoun Valley (high schools in Purcellville).”

The scholarship program will launch in 2025 and will be offered to students who are “community contributors,” Harriet Wegmeyer said.

“It’s for a wide scope of kids who leave an impact in their community by volunteering, work, or you can do it in so many different ways. You can do it as part of a sports team. Leaving the community in a better place is the whole idea,” she said. “This is a community organized event and emphasizing the value of communities, no matter what age you are, and you can be a huge contributor.”

Earlier this year, they held a contest for the inaugural festival poster. Thomas Mazeika, a student at Loudoun Valley, won first place and received a $1,000 scholarship toward continued art education.

Friday night, May 17, is the Strawberry Denim Dinner and Gala in the restored barn. It is a ticketed event catered by Magnolia’s at the Mill in Purcellville with wine by Endhardt Vineyards, a nearby winery.

“This will kick off the weekend and will be a super fun night,” she said.

On Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19, there will be a ticketed strawberry pancake breakfast.

The festival itself will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be pie eating contests, a toddler runway, barrel train rides, ring toss, cornhole, slides and playhouses and craft vendors. Buckets of pre-picked strawberries will also be available for sale.