36th annual Strawberry Fest kicks off this weekend with more space to accommodate growing crowds

CEDARBURG, Wis. (CBS 58) -- It’s the season for fresh strawberries and festivals, and no one combines the two better than Cedarburg. 

This weekend is the 36th annual Strawberry Festival. 

Preparations were already underway Friday morning as Cedar Creek Winery employees stacked cases of its Strawberry Blush wine. 

“It started back in 1985 as a way to give people a reason to come in," said Steve Danner of the wine that started the whole festival. 

Danner, the General Manager of Cedar Creek Winery, says the popularity of the wine and festival have grown since then.

Nearly 120,000 people hit Washington Avenue in Cedarburg to get a taste of all things strawberry. 

“We have strawberry brats, strawberry corndogs, strawberry shortcake, strawberry beer, strawberry seltzer,” said Sarah Enwald, festivals manager for Festivals of Cedarburg. 

This year, the fest of welcoming some new additions and park space to accommodate the growing crowds. That includes the new Strawberry Alley, where people will be able to purchase freshly picked strawberries. 

Many of the tents are run by non-profits and benefit organizations, like Cedarburg High School (CHS) and the CHS Robotics team, who will be using their new robot to hand condiments to the grill-masters and pass out pancakes during the popular pancake breakfast. 

Strawberry Festival runs Saturday, June 24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, June 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The pancake breakfast starts at 8 a.m. Sunday morning.