Jeff Jones spent the past week or so pulling weeds, arranging for Civil War reenactors and slicing strawberries — nearly 60 pounds of the sweet red fruit.
As president of the Burtner House Restoration Society, Jones has a variety of odd jobs that need to be done to prep for the annual Strawberry Festival, scheduled for Saturday.
“This is the first time we’ve been able to have the festival in three years, so we need to make sure everything is just right,” Jones said.
The event will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature craft vendors, house tours and a blacksmith demonstration.
The cost is $10 per person and $5 for children 12 and younger.
Abraham Lincoln, complete with a top hat and beard, usually stops by to mingle with guests.
The Burtner House, on a Harrison hillside near the Route 28 Expressway, was built in 1821 and served as a working farm and residence until the 1960s.
The three-story stone farmhouse was built by Philip Burtner and served as a polling site for President Andrew Jackson’s election. There are graves of veterans from four wars on the grounds.
It is one of the five oldest homes in Allegheny County, having celebrated its 200th anniversary last year.
Jones and fellow members of the Restoration Society work to preserve the homestead and raise awareness of its historical significance.
The Strawberry Festival is one of two fundraisers hosted each year that help to pay for the majority of the operating budget, Jones said.
Volunteers also offer private tours and sell Burtner House merchandise.
Pam Seguin, society secretary, said the festival gives people a glimpse into life in the olden days, when the fireplace was the only means of heat and children had to work the farm to collect wool for new clothes.
“People enjoy the house, and this gives them a chance to see inside — where there’s a jelly cupboard made by Philip Burtner and great big cast-iron skillets,” she said.
This year, the event also will allow people to enjoy about 25 vendors and demonstrations, including homemade honey, candle-makers, authors, artists, a yarn spinner and Civil War reenactors.
Food sales will include hot dogs, sauerkraut, pulled pork, baked beans, halushki, nachos and as many strawberries as a person could want.
“I think we should have enough to make at least 400 shortcakes,” Jones said. “That’s a lot of berries.”
Parking will be available at the Citizens Hose fire station, 965 Burtner Road. A free shuttle will run from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
