The Strawberry Festival is returning to LaSalle, but preparation of the fruit is needed first.
The strawberries are grown locally at Raymont's Berries in Cottam.
Over 300 flats of strawberries need to be cleaned before the festival begins on June 9, and volunteers are needed to help prepare the berries.
Scott Bisson, Manager of Culture and Recreation for the Town of LaSalle, says that any and all volunteers are welcome.
"Parents, kid, seniors, anyone who is interested in coming out, the event starts at 6 p.m. and we're looking for about an hour or two of your time, that would be greatly appreciated," he continued. "If there's any high school students, we will be signing off on those community service hours."
Bisson explained what will be available at the festival, and why the preparation is so important.
"We have strawberries and icecream available during the festival from June 9 until June 12, and also people can purchase quarts of fresh strawberries. So we have a lot of strawberries to prepare, 300 flats worth, so we're excited to get back to the Strawberry Fest and we're looking for people to give us a hand."
He says he's excited for the festival to be back after two years of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's a great opportunity to go and have some fun. And it's also a good opportunity for vendors who were really hit hard during the pandemic, to get back to selling and being at events, and you know generating income for themselves. So, we're really excited," Bisson said.
The cleaning will be done at LaSalle Fire Service on Wednesday June 8, starting at 6 p.m.
Any volunteers are welcome to show up the day of to assist in the preparation.