Here's what to expect at the 2024 Strawberry Festival
Jun. 5—Get ready for some shortcake. The Strawberry Festival is returning to downtown Kokomo on Friday.
There are a few minor changes coming to this year's festival, which will run from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
As usual, the festival will be held in the streets and sidewalks that surround the Howard County Courthouse. Similar to last year, the Artsapalooza Arts Market will expand the festival's grounds one block north along Main Street. It will also push one block south along Buckeye Street this year.
More than 140 vendors will set up shop at the festival this year, which marks a record number for the event. There are 16 food trucks among the vendor list, including Still Smokin BBQ & Seafood, ZAIKA Indian Cuisine, Hawg Heaven and The Filling Station. Four vendors will serve alcoholic beverages, including The Coterie, Sun King Brewery, Whyte Horse Winery and Booze Buggy.
The festival's strawberry desserts will cost $7, marking a $1 increase from last year's treats.
Tickets are already on sale and can be purchased at any First Farmers Bank & Trust location, all Kokomo-Howard County Public Library branches and at the Greater Kokomo Downtown Association's office, which is at 700 E. Firmin St., Suite 102.
The Downtown Association, which organizes the event, is also selling T-shirts with the Strawberry Festival this year. Shirts cost $20, or $25 if you would like a strawberry dessert ticket with the shirt. The shirts are already on sale and can be purchased at the Downtown Association's office or the First Farmers Bank & Trust branch at 101 W. Sycamore St.
The Downtown Association ordered roughly 3,500 pounds of Moore's Pie Shop strawberries, 6,500 pieces of Tastefully Indiana shortcake, 300 gallons of Scoops ice cream and 350 cans of Meijer whipped cream for the event.
As always, festival attendees can forgo any of the toppings when they order a strawberry dessert.
While the festival's organizers have encouraged visitors to wear strawberry-themed outfits in the past, they plan on recognizing the best outfits this year. Alec Downing, a festival committee member, will tour the festival grounds in a pink suit and hand out sashes to visitors who he thinks have exemplary Strawberry Festival outfits.
Other than shopping and grabbing a bite to eat, there will be several activities for festival attendees to try out:
* Tiny Tots Motorcycle Adventure presented by ABATE of Howard County.
* A bouncy house from Morning Star Church
* A pool noodle public art station
* A Say Some
* thing Nice station from Mental Health America
* Banner Flower House arrangement demonstrations
* CPR training from Community Howard Regional Health
* A 1935 Aherns-Fox antique fire truck for children to sit on and take photographs, courtesy of the Kokomo Fire Department
Festival visitors can also expect performances from the Kokomo Park Band's 16-piece Street Fair Band and the Kokomo Men of Note.
A stage set up on the corner of Main and Sycamore streets will also host live music, with several performers coming from Rhum Academy. Lineage, the headliner, is set to perform at 7:30 p.m.
The rest of the stage's schedule is as follows:
* 11 a.m.: Festival welcome and national anthem
* 11:05-11:55 a.m.: Sami and James Lightsey
* Noon to 12:30 p.m.: Zion, Darren and Darnell Smith
* 6:25-7:15 p.m.: Student bands
* 12:30-1 p.m.: Tim Edwards
* 1-1:30 p.m.: Averie Stone
* 1:30-2:30 p.m.: Jewel Jasay with Shayden, Aerie and Vivian
* 3-3:30 p.m.: Kristen Flowers Band
* 3:30-4 p.m.: Ione Wallsmith
* 4-4:20 p.m.: Jen Bird
* 4:20-4:40 p.m.: Arden Brittain
* 4:40-5:10 p.m.: Bekah Cripe
* 5:20-5:50 p.m.: Kokomo Park Band Street Fair Band
* 5:55-6:20 p.m.: Erin Soutar
"The Strawberry Festival is a much-loved summer tradition in Kokomo, drawings thousands from near and far," Susan Alexander, manager of downtown initiatives for the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance, wrote in a press release. "Not only is this a great day for the community to come together, it's a catalyst for pushing forward our public art initiatives."