87th Strawberry Festival dedicated to Earl and Ola Privitt
by Shane Wofford
Earl and Ola Privitt
The 87th Annual West Tennessee Strawberry Festival may not officially get into full swing until May, but excitement is already building and preparations are more than underway. It was just a few short weeks ago that Festival President Mitzie Privitt unveiled this year’s theme, “It’s a Berry Wonderful Life”, which shines a light on the tremendous volunteer work required to make the Strawberry Festival come to life each year. This week, Privitt honored two important volunteers from the festival’s history when she announced that this year’s event would be dedicated to her late in-laws: Earl and Ola Privitt.
Affectionately known by friends and family as “Maw and Paw”, Earl and Ola were well-known for their dedication and service to both the West Tennessee Strawberry Festival and to Humboldt as a whole. The Privitts were two of the founding members of the Humboldt Area Rescue Squad in 1999, with Earl serving as a pump operator and Ola working in dispatch. They also owned and operated a wrecker, garage and salvage service, which survives today in the form of multiple companies still thriving under the Privitt name.
While neither Maw nor Paw ever served in an official capacity on a Strawberry Festival committee, they were very much part of the event’s history. Paw Privitt and his sons Jerry, Gene and Rickey were a fixture of the parade route, jumping into action whenever a float or other parade vehicle needed a quick repair to keep things moving along, or to assist anyone who might need medical attention. Maw was regularly at work in the command center, working the radio and notifying volunteers what needed to be done and where.
Their impact on the festival was not only through their own contributions, but from those of their loved ones as well. Mitzie recalled one instance of their innate generosity from around the time she had recently met their son, and Mitzie’s future husband, Jerry Privitt.
“My first year building floats, Jerry told me he knew where we could find a good burger,” recalled Mitzie, “He barely even knew me but knew I needed a break from working on floats. He didn’t take me to any restaurant, we went to his mom’s house and Maw made us the best burgers I have ever eaten. And to this day, we make burgers just like her when we cook at our cornhole events. She sure made me feel welcome to Humboldt and eventually to the family.”
Jerry himself has been a part of the Strawberry Festival since he was a boy, his interest fostered by the dedication of his parents. He fondly recalled his mother supplying him with cans of soda to carry around in his wagon during the parade. He would sell the sodas to parade-goers, and return the money his mother spent on the sodas to her while he kept whatever profit he made.
“To this day he’s still tight as a tooth with money,” Mitzie laughed.
The other Privitt siblings have close ties with the festival as well, largely due to Maw and Paw’s encouragement.
Joan Smith recalled how, just five days after the birth of her first son, Alex, Ola insisted that he come to the parade. Alex later would go on to serve as president of the Strawberry Festival.
Gene Privitt is continuing the tradition of Privitt men working the parade route, and his primary job each year is to manage the line-up at the start of the parade.
“I feel like one of their biggest contributions to the WTSF is the fact that this large family has always been a part of the festival,” said Mitzie, “The spirit of volunteering, community service and helping those in need was passed down by these amazing people. It is this type of legacy that keeps the traditions of a great festival intact, unity in the community evident, and the spirit of volunteerism alive and well.”
The 87th West Tennessee Strawberry Festival is set for May 4 – 10 of this year. Be on the lookout in the coming months for further updates in the Humboldt Chronicle as the 2025 festival takes shape.
