The only remnant of the Strawberry Festival of days past is Steve Cinnamon’s Father’s Day Car Show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Victory Park. There’s always a big turnout for this show, which is in its 20th year. The community loves it.
Everything else for Strawberry Festival was canceled this year due to COVID and also due to the fact the city council wanted to head in a new direction with its annual festival.
And so, we have the Belleville Lake Fest coming up next weekend, June 25-27. Lots of music and food and family activities. The plan was to use the lake, which planning consultants have been saying for decades is a treasure and isn’t being used enough by the community.
So the committee has planned Dragon Boat practices and races and a boat parade. This should crowd Horizon Park since it’s hard to see the lake from any other public space in Belleville.
Although it was planned as an event for the tri-community to raise money for non-profit groups, the only event outside of the city or the lake is the movie at Van Buren Park at 8 p.m. Friday.
The strawberries are ready for self-picking at Rowe’s, the Father’s Day Car Show is all set, but you’ll have to wait for the new festival until next week end. They have purchased a full-page ad in the Independent to alert you to what’s on. Can hardly wait.
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The lake is probably a treasure to those who own property on it or have boats to access from public launches, but it’s not a big draw for a festival. Maybe some will spend an hour looking out from the top of the hill at Horizon Park, maybe a handful will fish on the dock or Kayak, but it’s odd that the city would drop the Strawberry Festival which brought visitors from across metro Detroit.