For more than nine decades, the Annual Shortcake Festival has brought the community of Center Moriches together for a day of strawberries, whipped cream, and hometown pride. Hosted by the fire department’s Company 1, the event remains a cherished and enduring summer tradition.
Held at the firehouse on Main Street in conjunction with the Chamber’s sidewalk fair, the festival has grown from a small gathering in 1933 to a true hometown classic.
“This is about more than dessert,” said former Center Moriches Fire Department Chief Bill Renzetti, who’s been working the event for years. “It’s about keeping tradition alive, honoring our past, and spending time with the people who make this town what it is.”
The event traces its roots to June 9, 1933, when the very first strawberry and ice cream festival was held by the department. Tickets were just 50 cents, as compared to $8 today. That year, a flyer urged neighbors to “join with us!”—and they did for nearly a century.
Fire Commissioner Mike Schlosberg, who joined volunteers in preparing the treats, said the event is a way to show appreciation to the public while raising funds for Company 1.
“It connects us to our roots,” Schlosberg said. “And it reminds everyone that the firehouse isn’t just for emergencies. It’s a place for the community to come together.”
The Department was officially established in 1899, formed by residents who banded together after devastating local fires. Over the past 126 years, it has transformed from a horse-drawn engine company into a modern, volunteer force responding to hundreds of emergency calls every year.
Yet even with that progress, the department hasn’t lost sight of its small-town spirit. “Things have changed in the world,” said Renzetti, “but at the firehouse during strawberry season, it always feels like home.”