A Strawberry Festival and tours of the historic Potts mansion will take place on Saturday, June 17, from noon to 5 p.m. at St. Mary of Providence Center, 227 Isabella Road, Elverson. The event will include food, entertainment, children's activities and craft vendors.

A highlight of the day will be strawberry dessert treats, including strawberry shortcake. Also offered will be ice cream, along with grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, snacks and beverages. The back of the site's chapel will be used as the serving area, and there are picnic tables outside for eating.

Craft vendors will be on hand offering items such as photos, artwork, wreaths and quilts.

For children, there will be clowns, balloons and games.

Live musicians will be featured throughout the day. Among the performers will be the Roland Zimmerman Family, which performed at last year's festival. Performances will take place on an outdoor stage by the food area.

Guided tours of the site's mansion will begin at 11 a.m. Construction of the mansion was started in 1890 by Joseph Potts, whose family members were local ironmasters. Joseph's great-great-grandfather was John Potts, the founder of Pottstown.

The home is actually a double mansion, with one side the exact mirror image of the other. One half of the structure was designed to be a home for Joseph and his wife, Mary. The other half was for Joseph's son, William, and his wife, Mabel.

"The tour guides will be dressed as historic personages of the mansion. You will meet some of the maids of the mansion, as well as Mary and Mabel Potts," said Sister Brenda McHugh, site director.

The mansion is known as Langoma, which is a Native American term that means "homestead." The mansion features 76 rooms, 22 fireplaces and numerous architectural highlights such as Tiffany stained glass windows, "floating" staircases and woodwork detailing.

According to a history of the site, William Potts died in 1943, and the property eventually went to the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence, who acquired the Potts mansion in 1948 to be used as a training and education center for children with developmental challenges. In 1984, the children were transferred to a new complex built by the Diocese of Philadelphia in Springfield. Today, the St. Mary of Providence Center functions as a retreat facility and provides housing for senior citizens.

"We are celebrating the 75th anniversary of our sisters' arrival in Elverson," Sister Brenda said, noting that the actual date of the anniversary is Nov. 4. "We are having a special Mass in October to celebrate."

To reserve a mansion tour, visit http://www.stmaryprov.org/strawberry or search for "St. Mary of Providence Center" on Facebook. Funds raised from the Strawberry Festival and tour donations will support the maintenance of the site and the mission of St. Mary of Providence Center. For more information and to view a list of participating vendors, visit the previously mentioned Facebook page and website.