Cottage Grove Strawberry Fest is here! Now 41 years old in its present form and planned by an all volunteer committee, the annual festival kicked off with the medallion hunt Monday, sponsored by State Farm Insurance. Clues are posted on the Cottage Grove Strawberry Fest Facebook.
Also happening this year is a button raffles with buttons that can be purchased at City Hall, Old National Bank, Merchants Bank or any ambassador candidate, as well as the information booth during the festival. The button will give access to discounts from participating vendors at Strawberry Fest, with vendors including Applicious Apples, Blue Loon Concessions, D&D Goodies, the Egg Roll Queen, El Mexicano Grill, Fat Louie’s Lemonade, Inferno Wood Fired Pizza, Just Roasted, O’Neil Amusement, Pharaoh’s Gyros, Philicious Philly, and Yang Yumm. The festival closes with the coronation of the new Strawberry Fest Ambassadors at Oltman Middle School on June 23 at 6:30 p.m., a kickoff dinner held Friday, June 13 at River Oaks Golf Course.
As for the 2025 Cottage Grove Strawberry Fest Ambassador candidates there are 11, as follows: Ashley (sponsored by Merchants Bank), Autumn (sponsored by Women in Business), Caitlyn (sponsored by Buy with Mo Powered by Keller Williams Premier Realty), Eloise (sponsored by Woodbury Dance Center), Gracie (sponsored by Better Outlook LLC), Maximillian (sponsored by Liberty Heating and Cooling), Penelope (sponsored by Whole Health Chiropractic), Rosalyn (sponsored by Brynn Alden Design+Build), Ryan (sponsored by TrueLens Community Media), Shannon (sponsored by Jing River Acupuncture), and Silaya (sponsored by GQ Stucco & Stone Inc.).
With carnival tickets on sale at www.cottagegrovestrawberryfest.com and available at Kingston Park outside the carnival area, the event schedule at Strawberry Fest is packed.
Starting off Thursday, June 19, the band 'Basic and Boring" will be returning to the Main Stage for Family Night, the music starting at 5:00 p.m.
Also part of Thursday Family Night at this year's Strawberry Fest will be a DJ-teen dance, Balloon artist, kid's tractor pull, wood crafts, high school robotic’s team demo, and CGAA Youth Sports Interactive Demo, including for lacrosse, basketball, softball, football, and soccer.
Come Friday there will be a special edition, this year featuring an exciting drone show, set to take place Friday, June 20 at 10:30 p.m.
As in past years Strawberry Fest 2025 will include a Marketplace with vendors, along with a bean bag tournament, car show, pet show, doggie dash, story walk, pie eating contest, top chef contest, K-9/SWAT demo, food vendors, beer garden, mega jump motivational experience, live entertainment, and Grande Day Parade. A parade will take place Saturday, June 21 at 10:00 a.m. on with Gary Spooner as the 2025 parade grand marshal. The parade assembly area will be set up in the Cross Roads, with the route including a short leg on 80th Street South before turning north on Jamaica Avenue and then east onto Indian Boulevard. Parade tear down will be in the Cottage Grove Middle School parking lot.
Come nightfall on Saturday, meanwhile, a fireworks show will take place at 10:30 pm. while Sunday will see the festival wind down, with carnival hours from noon to 4 p.m.
Come check out the fun this weekend at Kingston Park!