Karen Mangrove has fond memories of picking strawberries in the Goose Arm Road area as a child.
There were a lot of strawberry farmers working the fields in the Deer Lake and Cormack area at that time and everywhere you went people were selling them along the side of the road or operating U-pick setups where you could spend the day picking your own tray of fresh product.
That tradition is recognized and kept alive with the Deer Lake Strawberry Festival.
A good time is guaranteed for all hands with the 35th Deer Lake Strawberry Festival planned for July 20-22 at Deer Lake Power Field in the airport town.
Mangrove said the festival has proven to be a great connect for the community with a lot of activities planned for all age groups with the focus on a family experience.
There will be rides and slides for the youngsters. There will be a bike parade, a visit from Lollipop the Clown and a fire show by Alley Oop Enertainment before the fireworks on Sunday night.
There will be lots of food and games for the adults, with a line-up of entertainment scheduled for the three-day event that will see the Jim Cuddy Band as the featured act on Saturday night.
“We call it a community party because there’s something for everybody,” Mangrove said Sunday.
Mangrove refers to the festival as a Come Home Year. People from away usually call and check on the dates for the annual event and plan a return trip home to be part of it.
“It certainly brings people together because they go down on the field and see people they went to school with years ago or seeing people they haven’t seen in a while,” she said.
Anybody looking for more information can check out the festival schedule on the Deer Lake Strawberry Festival Facebook Page or website www.DeerLakefestivals.ca. Tickets can also be purchased on online or at the Town of Deer Lake or Woodward Motors in Deer Lake.
