Tuesday, April 08, 2014

TOP STORY >> Annual rite of spring

The 12th annual Cabot Strawberry Festival will be held April 24-26 at the Cabot Veterans Park Community Center.

“Strawberry cupcakes, chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberry jam; it’s going to be strawberry galore,” festival chairwoman Amanda Elizandro said.

The three-day event begins Thursday night with carnival rides. Armbands good from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday only will be sold for $15 at the Cabot Chamber of Commerce and the Community Center. Arm-bands will be $20 the day of the event. The carnival will be set up through Saturday night.

On Friday, vendors will be open from 6 to 9 p.m. Music by Christian rock band Udicia will play from 7 to 9 p.m. on the stage outside.

Strawberry fest on Saturday will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with 65 booths inside and outside the community center.

Barnhill Orchard, Cabot Patch and Holland Bottoms will all have local, freshly-picked strawberries for sale.

The Berry Patch kids zone is a secured area that will have bounce houses, face painting, tattoo stickers and a petting zoo. Admission to enter the patch is $5.

The Game and Fish traveling aquarium will be at the festival too.

The Strawberry Festival beauty pageant will be held at 10 a.m. in the community center. Entry forms are available at the community center, the chamber of commerce and online at www.juniorauxiliaryofcabot.com.

The deadline to sign up is Wednesday, April 23.

For more information, call Gina Quattlebaum at 501-454-4038 or e-mail strawberryfestivalcabot@gmail.com.

Strawberry fest will have a dunking booth from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Scheduled are Mayor Bill Cypert, Central Elementary Principal Sherri Jennings, Eastside Elementary Principal Jill Fletcher, school board secretary Brian Evans, high school softball coach Chris Cope, Junior High South girls basketball coach Lori Harmon, assistant high school baseball coach David Smith, high school football player Jake Ferguson, Victory Baptist Church youth pastor Blake Martin, elementary P.E. teacher Coach “O” Jamie Oitker, police and firemen, state representative candidate Tim Lemons and circuit court judge candidate Ashley Parker.

The Strawberry Festival is the Junior Auxiliary of Cabot’s largest fundraiser.

“One-hundred percent of the proceeds go back to help the Junior Auxiliary of Cabot help students in the school district,” Elizandro said.

The festival receives funding from the Cabot Advertising and Promotions Commission.