Willoughby Hills mayor retains Strawberry Shortcake Eating title at Kirtland Kiwanis festival

Jun. 24—Willoughby Hills Mayor Chris Hallum recently had the opportunity to participate in the strawberry shortcake eating contest, hosted by the Kirtland Kiwanis and Kirtland Mayor Kevin Potter as part of the annual Kirtland Kiwanis Strawberry Festival .

In addition to Hallum and Potter, Eastlake Mayor David Spotton, Wickliffe Mayor Joe Sakacs and Willowick Mayor Michael Vanni were participants. Standing in for Willoughby Mayor Robert Fiala was Sunhil Ahuja, the new president of Lakeland Community College.

"Our past mayor, Andy Gardner, held the title of Strawberry Shortcake Eating Champion for the past two years," Hallum said. "I was able to retain the title for Willoughby Hills, but Mayor Sakacs, eating blueberry shortcake, ate the most in the two-minute competition. Mayor Sakacs contends that he has an allergy issue with strawberries and therefore gets a much easier fruit to swallow. I think it's a strategy."

For the last three years, the Kiwanis have organized what Hallum describes as a fun, well-attended event.

"Like so many organizations in Lake County, they work hard to raise funds and support projects that benefit all of us," he said.

Since 1960, the annual Kirtland Kiwanis Strawberry Festival has been a staple of the community, taking place each year over Father's Day weekend at the Kirtland Schools campus. The festival proceeds benefit the community and Kirtland School District students.

The festival ran June 13-15. In addition to its namesake fruit, the event featured live music, contests, rides and a kids area.

According to a Kirtland Police Department Facebook post, a recent increase of disturbances and violence at local summer festivals prompted the department to implement additional safety measures for the festival.

Festival personnel and the police department instituted several rules and policies to ensure that the festival was safe and fun for all attendees.