Come one, come all to the magnificent Florida Strawberry Festival! The festival will be hosted this year from March 3-13.

  The Florida Strawberry festival was founded in 1930 when the Plant City Lions Club wanted to show the people of Plant City the agriculture of the Strawberry harvest.

  According to Lauren Der, public relations and media representative, they started from humble beginnings in only having a few things such as flower show, local entertainment and they celebrated the growth of the strawberries. It was not a large celebration, but it was the start of a tradition.

  The members of the Lion’s Club did, however, start crowning young women to be the Florida Strawberry festival queen. The first queen was not crowned the way pageants queens are usually crowned.

  The winner of the pageant was the contestant that raised the most money, she would be crowned queen. Today, the queen has to meet a certain criteria in order to become queen of the festival, such as she has to be between the ages of 16- 20 and have a GPA of a 3.0.

  The festival has grown so much in popularity that people from all over the state come to attend this 11 day event. According to Der, she has met people from Canada and a few people from England that have attended the event.

  If it is the festival rides, entertainment and fair food that peaks your interest, then the festival will not disappoint.

  Guests who attend will have a variety of vendors to choose from, as an estimated 400 vendors are scheduled to be in attendance. Art exhibits are available as well as the highly anticipated fair rides.

  If the rides are not appealing to you, there are a variety of dishes, including incredible strawberry shortcake, delectable chocolate covered bacon and many other delicious foods exclusive to the Strawberry festival.

  There will also be live entertainment from local musicians. Some of the musical events that are featured will be free while others will require a ticket purchase to attend.

  Redhead Express provides free entertainment services. Anyone may watch this special event at no cost whatsoever. Trace Adkins, a major industry country music star, is one of the entertainers who will perform at the ticketed events.

  The festival varies in events and offers livestock showings.

  Some of the livestock shown at the festival are presented by children as young as 8 to 10.

  Also, some high school students in the bay area showcase their prized cow or pig. In order for a high school student to show an animal at the festival, he must maintain a 3.0 GPA and part of the high school’s National FFA Organization (Future Farmers of America).

  The Strawberry Festival is event like no other. From delicious food to live entertainment, there is something for everyone. Ticket prices vary,but children under five attend for free.

  For more information of the festival visit their website www.flstrawberryfestival.com.