Members of the community look forward to seeing the activities that the festival offers. Mercedes Marshall from Pleasant Grove has attended the festival annually for a few years now.
“I’ve been coming to the festival for five years and I love it,” Marshall said. “It’s such a big tradition here, and I can’t wait for the next year.”
Others, like Cesario Rubio from Mexico, feel that the festival is an opportunity to spend time with family.
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“We really liked the parade,” Rubio said. “It is a tradition in our family to come here since we have moved to Pleasant Grove.”
Rubio said that the festival focuses mostly on children because the activities, games, contests and parade are to entertain children.
Strawberry Days is very popular among the residents of Pleasant Grove; however, some residents from other cities in Utah, are not very familiar with its various activities.
“I didn’t know anything about the parade or the carnival,” Christian Riggs, who is from Fresno, Calif., but currently lives in Provo, said. “The event is not advertised in Provo and I learned about it from my sister-in-law.”
To some people, the festival is a tradition and a part of the community’s identity. David Turley from Lindon feels the name of the festival reflects what Pleasant Grove used to be like many years ago.
“The festival is called Strawberry Days because people used to grow strawberry bushes here more than 50 years ago,” Turley said.
Turley has participated in the Lehi, Orem and Provo parades for six years driving a jeep from War World II. This is the first time he participated in Pleasant Grove.
“I am planning on participating next year because I would like to be more involved in the community,” he said.
This event also provides opportunities for community entrepreneurs to offer their products and to generate interest.
Kathy Anderson, from Pleasant Grove, who is in the food storage business, was really excited about the business opportunity Strawberry Days allows local businesses to promote and sell their products.
“I am a new entrepreneur and this is a good chance to offer my products to the community,” Andersen said. “I get to talk to people and to create my network. It’s awesome.”
Strawberry Days takes place every June and lasts for a week. It usually finishes with a concert on Sunday evening.
