Since 1958 the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival has treated the community to free strawberry shortcake at its grand opening ceremony, this year to be held Friday, May 22nd at 6p.m. at Main and Acacia streets in Garden Grove. The giant cake will be created by French’s Pastry Bakery in Costa Mesa. Some of the Saturday parade celebrities, who could not resist having a taste, will be there to say a few words and to pass out cake to the crowd. Attending this year will be Kate Linder from The Young and the Restless, Chris Warren Jr. from High School Musical, Shanica Knowles and Morgan York from Hannah Montana and Grand Marshal Emmy and Oscar winner Cloris Leachman.

In the past as many as 2,000 have come out for free cake. Garden Grove Mayor Bill Dalton traditionally cuts the first piece and presents the giant top “strawberry” to Miss Garden Grove, as he will again this year. Over the Memorial Day weekend festival the over 250,000 annual attendees head for the Festival’s 174 food and commercial booths where they find treasures to buy and all kinds of treats to try. Booths open at 1 p.m. on Friday May 22nd and at 10 a.m. May 23rd through 25th.

The Festival’s non-profit food booths each annually average from $3,000 to $30,000 more for their organization. Returning again to ring up high sales will be Job’s Daughters Bethel 212 offering whipped cream-topped piles of glazed strawberries paired with shortcake or ice cream or both. Their specialty, Strawberry Shortcake Supreme, every year brings long lines of patient and determined patrons. Strawberry tarts and strawberry bread will available again from the Grove Theater box office, and this year the Garden Grove Boys and Girls Club will increase their coffers selling churros, chocolate dipped berries, cupcakes and baskets of freshly picked strawberries. Strawberry smoothies ready for slurping are the specialty of Garden Grove High School Band Boosters.

Other festival foods for charity include hot dogs, cheeseburgers and nachos-to-go with the Kiwanis Club’s freshly roasted corn, and delicate funnel cakes brimming with sweetened strawberries. Barbequed beef sandwiches, Italian sausage and cheese sandwiches, stuffed potatoes, muffins and more make up the many offerings supporting worthy causes. Garden Grove charities include the Assistance League, Emblem Club 279, Guardettes, Lions Club, Pacifica and Garden Grove High School Girls Softball Boosters, plus many other non-profits selling non-food items.

According to Festival Board Member Ken Slimmer, the Festival has donated over $5 million to local charities since 1958. For more information, visit www.strawberryfestival.org.

Strawberry Festival MAY 22-25, 2009
Friday (1pm to 10pm)
Sat & Sun (10am to 10pm)
Monday (10am to 9pm)
Admission is Free!