Families, Friends Enjoy Spirited Hulling Night

Hundreds of residents poured onto the Martha Clara event grounds Thursday night for hulling night, the official kickoff to the 58th annual Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Festival.  

The mood was festive, with music playing, and scores of families, friends, and neighbors setting up at long tables under a white tent to start the main event -- hulling.

Hulling a strawberry means, simply, removing its stem and core. And, armed with plastic gloves and virgin strawberry daiquiris, crowds of residents took to the task with vigor.

Across the board, the task was a labor of love - and an homage to the joys of a tight-knit community. "My husband Brian and I have done this for the past four years in a row," said Karen Allar, of Mattituck. "It's a great family night with neighbors."

Lynn Summers agreed. "This is the core of the community that turns out to prepare these strawberries," she said. 

Alice and Paul Nadel brought their son  Alex, 11 and a friend, Aidon Reilly, 10. "It's the berries," Nadel said, that make the event so much fun.

"I like to go on all the rides," Aidan said.

"It's fun," Alex added.

Kevin Izzo, a member of the Leo Club, the youth chapter of the Lions, carted a bucket of berries along with his peers, who volunteered for the event. "It's a lot of fun and you get to serve the community at the same time."

Agnes Schuller of Laurel said her granddaughter Emily Krupka traveled all the way from Texas to relive a treasured family tradition. "It's such a good community event -- you get to see all your neighbors," Schuller said.

And for many, hulling night is meant for sharing with family, old and young. Jen and Fred Boese brought their baby Adelaide. "I grew up in Cutchogue," Jen Boese said. "I've come to hulling night since I was a little kid. It makes me feel like I'm home."