After the rush-hour traffic flows through the city this afternoon, Main Street in Belleville will be closed so vendors and the carnival can set up shop for the 34th annual Belleville National Strawberry Festival.
The festival officially begins on Friday on Main Street, at St. Anthony Catholic Church with a carnival and beer tent, the Chamber of Commerce midway next door at the high school (which opens Thursday at 5 p.m.), and events planned at Trinity Episcopal and Belleville Presbyterian churches on Belleville Road.
A free shuttle service, the Wyandotte Trolley, will be running continuous loops around the festival starting at the Meijer parking lot on Belleville Road. It will be available from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
The highlight of the week end will be the big parade at 11 a.m. on Saturday. It starts at the high school and heads toward Five Points and then turns to negotiate a narrow path through the vendors on Main Street, ending at the museum, where it disbands.
The Princess Laura Riverboat is offering half-hour cruises on Belleville Lake every hour from 1 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Cost is $5 for adults and $2.50 for children 12 and under.
There will also be a dinner cruise from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The boat is docked at Horizon Park.
A children’s area on Main Street will feature the Meijer’s Children’s Mobile Unit, Zhu Zhu Pets Tour 2010, and the Kraft Lunchables Tour 2010.
The only free stage entertainment scheduled will be from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday at Frosty Boy on Main Street when the Strawberry Idol contest is held.
On Sunday, the Annual Cinnamon’s Fathers’ Day Car Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Victory Park.
St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, 409 W. Columbia Avenue, will host festival events from 4 to 11 p.m. on Friday, noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
Trinity Episcopal Church, 11575 Belleville Road, will feature a craft fair and plenty of strawberry treats. It will be open 4-9 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Belleville Presbyterian Church, 11900 Belleville Road, will offer juried crafters, food booth, and strawberry treats. Guided tours will be available of the Martha-Mary chapel, which was one of those built by Henry and Clara Ford to honor their mothers.
Events at the church will take place from noon to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
The downtown area, with a new extension of the children’s carnival behind the museum, will be open from noon to 10 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
The festival office is at the Chamber of Commerce, 248 Main Street, phone 734-283-9634. Joan E. Bodnar is executive director and Tom Fielder is president of the Strawberry Festival Board of Directors.
Because of budget cuts, there will be no Strawberry Queen pageant and no entertainment on Main Street, other than the Strawberry Idol.