MARYSVILLE – The Market in the Park opened this afternoon at Asbery Field for the 86th Annual Marysville Strawberry Festival.
The Market is hugely popular during the festival. It includes dozens of craft, business and food booths. Pony rides and bouncy houses will be available for kids. The Strawberry Shortcake also is always a big hit.
The Kiwanis Beer Garden will open at 5, also at Asbery Field. And the Funtastic Carnival will continue at Marysville Middle School, 4923 67th Ave. NE. The midway includes rides for adults and kids, along with food and an arcade of games. As always, Saturday is the busiest day of the festival, including the Grand Parade with 100 or so entries at 7:45 p.m.
If the weather holds up as forecast, it should be a busy weekend, reaching 70 degrees Saturday and 74 Sunday to end the four-day festival.
Saturday starts with the car show, which runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Asbery Field, 6th and Alder. All types of classic and muscle cars usually show up. Organizers say up to 150 cars could be on display, compared with only about 50 last year.
The Rotarians will be at Totem Middle School for the Rose Planting Ceremony at 10 Saturday morning to honor Maryfest president Darren Doty, who also had a rose planted in his name when he led the organization two years ago. At 6 p.m., the Kiddies Parade takes place downtown. Actually, if you want to be in the parade, you need to be at Totem Middle School, 7th and State, by 4 p.m. to sign up. Judging occurs at 5 p.m. Kids can enter in any of five categories: Costumes, wheels, pets, groups and floats. Festival royalty will present awards after that parade in Comeford Park, 5th and State.
The two-hour Grand Parade follows, featuring the Cossacks Motorcycle Drill Team from Seattle. The theme of Marysville’s float this year is “Once Upon A Berry.” On board will be Queen Sarah Turral and Princess Denise Jacobsen. They will be dancing to the music, “Do You Believe In Magic?” and “Ever, Ever After.” Maryfest volunteers walk along the float and the junior royalty of Elizabeth Turral, Jimena Yanez and Rozlynn Edwards usually gets a car ride.
Numerous floats from all over the Northwest also usually show up, often lit up as it does get dark by the end of the parade.
State Sen. John McCoy of Tulalip is the grand marshal. Mayor Jon Nehring also is scheduled to be there. Senior royalty will ride in cars, as will the festival’s Talent Show winner pianist Donald Lester. Bands from Marysville Getchell and Marysville-Pilchuck high schools normally appear, with some graduating seniors participating and wearing their graduation gowns.
Police, fire, cheer squads, drill teams, antique cars, pirates and clowns also are expected.
If you can’t make it to the parade, it will be broadcast on Comcast and livestreamed on Youtube.
Right after the parade there will be fireworks, which usually is at about 10 p.m. The 15-minute show will feature 100 shells.
The carnival and market both open at 10 a.m. Sunday and close at 5 p.m., with the beer garden going from noon to 5.
Musical entertainment is part of the festivities at Asbery Field Saturday and Sunday.
The Mojo Kings, a rhythm and blues, classic rock band, will be onstage from noon to 2:30 p.m. Americana Country with the Joy Mills Band will follow from 3-5 p.m. And the Garage Band will play classic rock from the 1970s and ’80s from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Voices of the Village will play from noon to 1 p.m. with festival Talent Show winners performing a variety of acts from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
