Walkersville Day draws crowds
from far and wide

(5/21) On Saturday, May 20 residents of Walkersville and the greater Frederick area gathered for the 2023 celebration of Walkersville Day. From the public library all the way to the fire hall, streets and sidewalks alike were lined with yard sales, lemonade stands, and plant sales, in addition to some of the festival’s most well-loved booths like the St. Paul’s Strawberry Shortcake Stand.

Held annually, Walkersville Day has offered local churches, businesses, and organizations a truly stellar opportunity for fellowship for over 30 years. Although the event was put on hiatus during the Covid-19 pandemic, it returned in 2022 and carried into 2023 in even grander fashion than last year.

The event is primarily organized by Glade United Church of Christ and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. In true early-bird fashion, Glade UCC started serving breakfast at 7 a.m. and continued to sell lunch items and baked goods through the early afternoon. The church also hosted a small yard sale, which included a table to benefit a summer mission trip co-sponsored by Jefferson UCC.

Down the road, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church hosted several tents on their front lawn where attendees could snag a free hot dog or t-shirt, purchase handmade quilts to support children’s charities, and, of course, snack on its famous strawberry shortcake. Said St. Paul’s member Sam Purswell, "The smell alone draws everyone from the town in."

In addition, St. Paul’s also invited local musicians to perform, including the Walkersville High School Jazz Ensemble. The live music paired with chattering neighbors and laughing children made St. Paul’s one of the highlights of the day. "Some days, it’s just fun to be a Lutheran," said member Bill Cartwright.

The Walkersville Public Library hosted their own live music, with the WHS string quartet performing indoors in the morning, and Mike Kuster and the Catoctin Cowboys outdoors in the evening. The library also invited local vendors to participate in their weekly farmers market.

On the west end of Frederick Street, the Fire & Rescue Co. pulled out all the stops, displaying many of their fire engines and emergency vehicles so that children could play, explore, and learn. This effort was headed by Cindy and Topper Kramer, President and Chief of the Fire Company respectively. "I’ve been doing Walkersville Day since I moved here," said Cindy Kramer. "It’s a great community where we do everything we can to help each other out."

With so many organizations involved in the decades-old festival, it is surprising that Walkersville Day lacks a unifying body to manage it. Yet members of Glade UCC and St. Paul as well as organizations like the Fire & Rescue Co. maintain that the event runs without a hitch every year. "The self organization is positive because it allows individual groups to actually communicate with each other," said Bonnie Ogg, a long-time member of Glade UCC. "Glade knows what St. Paul is doing and St. Paul knows what Glade is doing, and they don’t cross each other’s bounds. It’s all just simple communication."

Walkersville Day seems to draw a bigger crowd each year. Some attendees drive from across, or even outside of Frederick County to participate in this unique event. "You get to see old friends and make new friends," said Laura Shaw, a resident of the town for over 40 years. "It’s a small town, but we couldn’t ask for a better community."