The Sea Gals will be part of the Marysville Strawberry Festival Grand Parade, but they will be sharing the spotlight with some young local heroes.

One new element to the Saturday, June 20, parade this year is a contest to ride in a float.

Maryfest is looking for nominations from the public to find “Berried Treasure” in the community, which is the theme of the Strawberry Festival this year.

Maryfest wants to honor children in grades one through seven who reach out to those less fortunate or volunteer to make the city a better place.

Three winners will be selected to ride in the Gooey Duck, which will lead a group of pirates in the parade. Nominations should include a narrative about what the child does that helps a light shine in Marysville.

Send nominations to: Berried Treasure Found, c/o Marysville Strawberry Festival, P.O. Box 855, Marysville, WA 98270 or email to PIRATESPR1@AOL.COM.

Deadline for entries is June 16.

Parade organizer Carol Kapua expects the number of entries to push the roster to its outer limits.

“The Sea Gals are coming, and they might be bringing friends,” Kapua said. “The camaraderie of the Marysville and Tulalip communities has inspired them and drawn them here.”

Also making their debut at this year’s Grand Parade will be Pinewood Elementary and local robotics teams. Representatives of White Rock, British Columbia, will be putting in their first Strawberry Festival appearance in 24 years.

Kapua reported that last year packed in an estimated 135 entrants.

“Much more than that, and we’d be going over our two-hour limit,” said Kapua, who noted that organizers actually managed to squeeze in 145 entrants one year, “but it was too much, because everyone had to rush by like this,” she made a “whoosh” gesture in front of her face.

Although Kapua is “really comfortable” with 125, she thinks they can still accommodate 135 “without everyone having to go so fast that it kills them.”

In addition to hosting the parade floats of the Strawberry Festival’s fellow Northwest festivals, Kapua expects a number of other familiar favorites to make return appearances this year.

“The Clan Gordon Pipe Band will be here,” Kapua said. “We usually get a good variety of bands and drill teams from throughout the region. They just love this parade.”

The Grand Parade officially starts at 7:45 p.m. on 76th Street, to ensure that entrants are rolling southbound on State Avenue in front of the announcers’ stand and the TV3 cameras by 8 p.m. It’s set to wrap up on Third Street and Alder Avenue by 10 p.m., just in time for the half-hour fireworks show that sets a hard end deadline on its running time.

“We’re excited to have floats from all across Washington and Canada, and they should have some really great designs,” Kapua said.

Meanwhile, the only major changes in the festival this year have to do with locations of two events.

The Berry Run/Walk Sunday, June 14, will start at 8 a.m. at the Tulalip Amphitheater. And the Fashion Show Luncheon will be at noon at the Opera House at 3rd and Cedar on Tuesday, June 16.

The festival kicks off with the Kids Party in the Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Asbery Field Saturday, June 13.

The Talent Show takes place at 6:30 p.m. at the Marysville-Pilchuck High School auditorium Thursday, June 18.

The Carnival starts that day at Marysville Middle School and runs through Sunday, June 21.

The Beer Garden also starts that day, and also runs Friday at the same time, 5-10 p.m., and Saturday, June 20, from noon to 10 p.m.

The Market in the Park starts Friday, June 19, from 2-9 p.m. at Asbery Field. It continues Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Entertainment at Asbery Field starts Friday with Jette Sette from 4:30-8:30 p.m. The Ian McFeron Band is at noon Saturday followed by Stacy Jones Bad at 2, A Band featuring Becky Foster at 4 and the Wingmen Band from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sunday will have Voices of the Village at noon and Rock Radio at 2:30 p.m.

On Saturday, the Shortcake Eating Contest will be from 1-3 p.m. at Asbery Field.

The main event, of course is the Grand Parade, which starts at 7:45 p.m. on State Avenue. Maryfest is in need of convertibles to drive VIPs through town for the parade; call Kapua at (360) 659-6086. Before that is the Kiddies Parade at 6 p.m. The Fireworks Show is set for about 10 p.m.