Our strawberry patch is just starting to ripen, but Rulfs Orchard’s U-Pick fields are just waiting to be picked. To celebrate this passage into summer, Rulfs is holding its 4th Annual Strawberry Festival in Peru this Saturday, June 27, from 11 am – 3 pm.

Two activities my children love are wagon rides and berry eating. Note how I didn’t mention berry picking. They leave that up to me. This weekend my kids and yours can have the chance to do both during Rulf’s festival. There will be plenty of opportunities to take a horse and wagon ride to the strawberry patch with Country Dream Farms. That will be where my children will watch me pick berries while they eat.

According to Country Dream Farm owner Melissa Monty-Provost, she has brought her team of horses to Rulfs Orchard every year for Strawberry Festival.

“We have been with them since the beginning,” says Monty-Provost. “We don’t charge for the wagon rides. We transport people from the parking area to the strawberry fields so they can pick their own.”

Monty-Provost remembers a year when the weather was less than ideal, but people came out anyway and it was busy. She felt that the weather doesn’t play an important role for people to attend. They still come out and have a great time.

This year there will be a special Farmers’ Market run in conjunction with the festival with area vendors such as Parker Family Maple Farm and Elfs Farm Winery and Cider House.

There are going to be plenty of activities to keep the children busy if strawberry picking isn’t to their liking. Pipsqueak’s Party Time will be clowning around with balloons, puppets and her own brand of magic. Face painting will be offered from Prism. Look forward to a bounce house, a strawberry shortcake eating contest and even giveaways.

Until our own strawberry patch ripens and I can keep out that pesky squirrel, we’ll have to get our strawberries elsewhere. A festival seems to be a great place to start. Enjoy strawberry season.

Photo provided by Rulfs Orchard.