Kokomo’s annual Strawberry Festival will be rescheduled this year due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
The Strawberry Festival, hosted by the Greater Kokomo Downtown Association, has been held on the first Friday in June over the last several years. However, the Downtown Association has rescheduled the festival for July 31 in an effort to promote social distancing and prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.
Each year, the Strawberry Festival draws thousands of people to the downtown area for strawberry shortcake, live entertainment, family activities and vendors from around the community. In the past, the festival has been paired with First Friday, a monthly event encouraging people to visit downtown businesses. The festival is the most well-attended event put on by the Downtown Association.
Susan Alexander, manager of the Greater Kokomo Downtown Association, said the Strawberry Festival is about more than just picking up a tasty treat downtown.
“Strawberry Festival is such a wonderful way to experience our community,” Alexander said. “So we’re going to figure out a way to bring this event to the community in the safest way possible. And now, instead of a beginning of summer celebration, we’re planning an end of summer celebration.”
Overall, Alexander said the event should look much the same as it always does. As long as it is safe to host the festival, the Rhum Academy of Music will still host student performances, and Tiny Tots Motorcycle Adventure, a staple of the annual event, will still host activities for children throughout the day. Many of the event’s other vendors will also still attend.
Alexander said the Downtown Association will continue to work closely with city and county officials leading up to the event, and the organization will make adjustments to the festival as necessary.
