The Kimmswick Strawberry Festival will be a little bigger this year.
Kimmswick Ward 1 Alderwoman Connie Schmitt, the event’s co-director, said the city will use the Elm Street parking lot for more vendor booths this year, adding about 30 additional vendors.
She said about 300 vendors are expected to be at this year’s festival, set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4.
It’s free to attend the event, which also will include live music, children’s activities, and, of course, all things strawberry.
“There will be fresh strawberries, strawberry shortcake, chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberry cheesecake and strawberry iced tea,” Schmitt said.
The town also will sell strawberry jam. Schmitt said there will be 840 jars available at the information booth by City Hall, 6041 Third St. The jars cost $8 each.
Admission to the festival is free, although there’s a charge for some activities.
Kimmswick businesses will be open during the festival with many offering strawberry-themed items.
“These are fun days,” Schmitt said of the festival. “You see a lot of people. You can have all different strawberry things, listen to good music, relax and enjoy the day with your family and friends.”
The festival will feature a petting zoo, bounce houses and pony rides for kids.
Music will be performed both days, with the Array Band playing in the park area from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 3, and Andrew Dahle performing during that time near City Hall.
“The Array Band has a pretty big following around here and Illinois as well. People travel to see them,” Schmitt said. “(Dahle) is a one-man band. He sings so good.”
Exit 180 is slated to play from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 4 near the park, and DJ Peppy Pat will play music during that same time near City Hall.
“Exit 180 draws a nice big crowd. We are happy to have them,” Schmitt said. “The DJ will provide great music throughout the day too.”
H.W. Herrell Distributing Co. in Imperial donated a solo stove – a smokeless fire pit – with a Blues logo on it valued at $450 to be raffled off during the festival. Schmitt said raffle tickets cost $1 each and may be purchased at the information stand on Beckett and Fourth streets.
An area for diaper changing and nursing mothers will be in the City Hall garage, which will be spruced up for the event, Schmitt said.
Roads leading into Kimmswick will close at 8 a.m. each day of the festival. Parking is available at the Windsor School District campus off Hwy. 61-67 in Imperial for a small fee, with shuttles taking people to and from the festival grounds. If the weather permits, parking will be available in two fields off Hwy. K. Limited handicap-accessible parking is available at Windsor Elementary School in Kimmswick.
The Strawberry Festival and Apple Butter Festival, which typically is held the last weekend of October, make up about 80 percent of the town’s operating budget, Schmitt said.
She said adding the extra vendor space this year should translate into additional revenue. Merchandise vendors pay $135 for a 10-foot-by-10-foot space, and food vendors pay $235 for a space.
“It is always good to get more revenue in, especially because (the cost for) all of our services, like portable restrooms, trash and buses, have gone up considerably since the Apple Butter Festival,” Schmitt said. “We were looking for ways to raise more money.”
Schmitt said Kimmswick typically collects about $60,000 in revenue from the Strawberry Festival each year.
“We really look forward to this,” Schmitt said. “It is not quite as big as the Apple Butter. It is kind of the start of the season for everybody. It is the start of the festival season for a lot of our vendors. They open with the Strawberry Festival and close with the Apple Butter Festival. They are all happy to get back and get swinging and stuff again. It is good for everybody.”
For more information, call 636-464-7407, go to gokimmswick.com or visit the Kimmswick Festivals and Events Facebook page.