When the community of Gladesville acquired this property, it came as an opportunity to retain a community identity and offer a place where the citizens could meet, work, and play together.  Events were not in short supply. The Gladesville Cemetery Association had sponsored the Gladesville Strawberry Festival since the 1940s but found a day-long event with a pageant, music, and meal difficult for an aging population. When that organization offered the Gladesville Community Association  the chance to host the event that had traditionally been held in the Gladesville School, they enthusiastically agreed. The Strawberry Festival evolved into the Strawberry Dinner, an important community event held the first Sunday of each June. The strawberries are picked by volunteers on Saturday at the Owl Creek Strawberry Farm, located just off Goshen Road in Monongalia County.

The Glades

     The annual strawberry event carries on a tradition of gatherings on these grounds by ‘the glades’. Families have been holding reunions on the grounds since the late 1800’s. During the early years of the GCA, some families also used the central location for yard sales. A number of civic groups, including the Preston County Homemakers and 4-H Club also used the facility as a meeting place during the early years.