By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
The 13th annual Cabot Strawberry Festival presented by the Junior Auxiliary of Cabot will be held Saturday, April 25 at the Veterans Park Community Center. Admission is free.
This year, the Strawberry Festival will be held for one day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The carnival will be for three days starting on Thursday. It will run from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday. Ride armbands, good for four hours, will be available for purchase.
New this year is the Run for the Berries 5K Fun Run. The race/walk starts at 8 a.m. It begins and ends at the Cabot High School track and will be a timed on a certified course.
Fee is $25 by April 18 and $35 the day of the race. The cost for children ages 9 and younger is $15.
Awards will be presented after the race at the Strawberry Fest main stage at 9:30 a.m. For more information call 501-681-3520 or email magpiebs4@yahoo.com.
The Strawberry Festival will have a more spacious layout inside and outside the community center.
“There will be over 50 vendors selling clothing, handmade signs, jewelry, food vendors and direct sales,” promotions chairman Melissa Davis said.
Fresh strawberries will be available from Barnhill Orchards, Cabot Patch and Holland Bottom Farms. The Junior Auxiliary will be selling strawberry shortcakes and strawberry lemonade.
The Strawberry Fest Pageant will be held at 10 a.m. at the Junior High North Cafeteria. Entries are still being accepted. Forms are available at www.jacabot.com, or register at 8 a.m. on the day of the event. The entry fee is $50. Winners will receive a crown, sash and trophy. State pageant title holders will be the judges.
The Berry Patch Kid Zone will be at the Victory Baptist Church parking lot. The Berry Patch is $5 for all day play. It will have face painting, a petting zoo, bounce houses and other activities.
“By moving the kid zone next door at the church and the pageant to the Junior High North cafeteria, it created an increase in vendors’ space,” Davis explained.
There will also be a dunking booth during the day with scheduled notable targets; state Rep. Tim Lemons (R-Cabot) and Mayor Bill Cypert.
Groups will perform on the entertainment stage throughout the day. Go 4 Broke — a country, rock and blues band-- — will perform at 3 p.m.
“It’s one of the largest finance projects of the year. Money raised is used by the Junior Auxiliary for service projects to help students in the Cabot School District throughout the year,” Davis added.
