Volunteers are needed for a yearly tradition ahead of the annual LaSalle Strawberry Festival.
The town is asking people from across the community to volunteer their time to help clean the strawberries for the festival.
Volunteers are needed on Wednesday, June 10 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with the cleaning taking place at the Event Centre at LaSalle Landing, 970 Front Road in LaSalle.
Around 300 flats of locally grown strawberries from Raymont’s Berries in Cottam will need to be cleaned.
The town says it’s around 63,000 strawberries with a total weight of around 3,600 pounds, or the weight of a small car.
LaSalle’s Manager of Culture and Recreation, Scott Bisson, says they will take as many volunteers as they can get.
“Obviously, many hands make light work. Usually I would say we are in the 150 range, but we have room for as many people who want to come help out,” he says.
The LaSalle Strawberry Festival runs from Thursday, June 11, to Sunday, June 14, at the Vollmer Complex, 2121 Laurier Parkway.
Bisson says the strawberry cleaning day is the event that really kicks off the festival.
“The day before the festival actually opens, it’s a great opportunity for people to come out, help clean some strawberries, and get us ready to serve the delicious strawberries and ice cream the Strawberry Festival is known for,” he says.
Strawberries and ice cream can be purchased during the festival at the strawberries and ice cream tent run by volunteers of Life After Fifty.
In 2025, 28,686 people attended the event with 5,453 servings of strawberries and ice cream handed out during the festival.
The 2022 festival remains the most attended, with 33,250 visitors.
Bisson says volunteering to clean the strawberries is not just a way to help the community but something to do with friends and family to make some memories.
No advance registration is required to volunteer; interested participants are encouraged to arrive at 6 p.m. Whether volunteering for an hour or the entire evening, all contributions are welcomed and appreciated. High school students can earn community service hours, with volunteer forms available and signed on-site.
Parking is available at the Event Centre by entering the parking lot from Bouffard Road. Additional parking spaces are available at the Riverdance building, which is a short walk to the Event Centre.
Guests can be dropped off at the Event Centre before parking. Pets are not allowed, except for service dogs.