Leaders of the Troy Area Chamber of Commerce assembled in the mid-1970's to explore the idea of starting a community wide festival. Guided by the leadership and enthusiasm of Stephen Hamilton, a Troy native, festival brainstormer's decided upon an event that would draw upon the resources and talents available in the area to raise money for community organizations and causes. Sweet Corn was their first theme suggestion, and others followed but strawberries won. The main reason is that the biggest strawberry patch east of the Mississippi River happened to be just outside Troy, Ohio ~ Fulton Farms. Early June also did not conflict with other festivals already established in Miami County.

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The festival started out very small in 1977 and has grown every year. The family oriented affair has been self-supporting from the start with the help of many Troy area businesses sponsoring specific events. Today, the event is a community wide effort involving thousands of volunteers organized by a committee of over 40 men and women. It generates enough income each year to finance a host of community service projects.

 The above information is the key to the Troy Strawberry Festival's success - just everyday folk turning their time, talents, and energy into a fun, family community event that attracts over 200,000 visitors each year to the Troy area.