Kimmswick will kick off its festival season this weekend.
The annual Kimmswick Strawberry Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2. There is no admission fee for the festival.
The town holds two annual festivals a year, starting with the Strawberry Festival and ending with the Apple Butter Festival, which will be held on Oct. 26-27 this year.
Mayor Phil Stang said more people start coming to Kimmswick after the festivals.
“There is a kick up in people who come here after (the festivals),” he said. “The festivals bring in people who have not been here before and a percentage of them come back because they don’t have the opportunity to spend a lot of time strolling around because of the size of the crowd. They come back to look at the shops they want to look at.”
Stang said 373 vendors are expected to line the streets during the festival. He said the town focused on having craft vendors at this year’s event.
“We have a lot of craft vendors like woodworking, furniture makers, artists, blacksmiths, quilters, jewelry and stuff like that,” he said. “That is a major portion we are trying to drive to. We are trying to get as many handmade crafts as possible that people really like.”
The town also will be selling strawberry jam. Stang said there will be 800 jars available at the information booth by City Hall, 6041 Third St. The jars cost $8 each.
There also will be a wide array of festival food options, and nearly every kind of creation involving strawberries, including fresh strawberries, strawberry shortcake, chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberry cheesecake, and strawberry iced-tea.
“There is never a lack of strawberry stuff,” Stang said.
There will be a children’s petting zoo, bounce houses and pony rides for kids. Fees are charged for some activities.
Stang said the festival is a family-friendly event with a focus on having attractions for everyone.
“We try to make sure in some way, shape or form there are things that are interesting for the family,” he said. “We have people from Mastodon State Historic Site. They do a wonderful job. They have presentations that are interesting for adults and children. Anytime we can have that kind of double-edge thing, we go in that direction.”
There also will be performances by the Harvest Drive Band from 1:30-5 p.m. each day of the festival. The band performs a mix of country and rock music.
“People do try to plan their arrival around the bands,” Stang 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 for a small fee, and shuttles will be operating to bring people to and from the festival grounds. Limited handicap parking is available at Windsor Elementary School in Kimmswick, and if the weather permits, parking will be available in two fields off Hwy. K.
The town’s businesses and restaurants will be open throughout the festival.
Approximately 40,000 people typically descend upon the Mississippi River town throughout the two-day Strawberry Festival, which raised about $60,000 for the town’s general operating fund last year, Stang said.
City officials have said the Strawberry Festival and Apple Butter Festival make up about 80 percent of the town’s operating budget.
“I personally enjoy it because I like to meet people, and it also makes money for the city” Stang said. “Also, it is an opportunity to market the city of Kimmswick to more people to come and see it. We have had people from Minnesota and Louisiana come and see what it is like. Most people say very positive things about their experience, and how efficiently we carry this off.
“We welcome everybody who would like to enjoy the festival.”
For more information, call 636-464-7407, go to gokimmswick.com or visit the Kimmswick Festivals and Events Facebook page.