Have you ever wondered about all those men and women at community events wearing those red blazers and driving a limo? Who are they? What are they up to? Why the jackets? Those would be the Lebanon Strawberrians!

In 1969, Jim McDaniel and Kerwood Smith decided that Lebanon needed ambassadors, especially around the time of the Strawberry Festival. So they put their heads together, got some other community members involved, and created the Royal Order of the Golden Strawberry, or "Golden Strawberrians" for short. The golden jackets didn't last long before being replaced with the red blazers you see today, and the group was renamed the Lebanon Strawberrians.

The Strawberrians serve as the official escorts to the Strawberry Festival's Royalty Court, accompanying the Princesses to parades and community functions. They replaced their old Lincoln Continental with a more modern limousine so they can transport the Princesses to parades, and graciously lend their car as the Court's parade entry for many parades around the state. They also serve as ambassadors for Lebanon as a whole, attending community events year round and treating the B.U.L.B. students to a ride to breakfast in the limousine. They are also dedicated to supporting the Strawberry Festival Princesses' futures, and organize fundraisers to raise funds for additional scholarships for the court--a cause that the late Jim McDaniel was very dedicated to, personally endowing funds, along with his wife Heather, to award each Princess a $500 scholarship in perpetuity.​

To learn more about the Lebanon Strawberrians, or become a member of their organization, check out the Strawberrians Facebook page