CEDARBURG, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) --  The Cedarburg Strawberry Festival is a summer staple in Ozaukee County, and while the sweet celebration will not be held in person this year, organizers are giving families a taste of the event with a virutal version this weekend.

The event, usually held in late June, moved online due to Covid-19 and restrictions on large gatherings. The team behind the annual event still wanted to give fans and vendors a chance to celebrate their community, and the sweet red berries. The solutiuon was to condense the two day festival into four hours of fun. The virtual Strawberry Festival will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 27.

“Going virtual is a whole new concept for us,” said BJ Homayouni, Festival Executive Director. “Strawberry Festival has been a popular event in Cedarburg for the last 35 years, we couldn’t just sit by and do nothing.  While it will be a completely different experience, we hope that our outdoor festival attendees embrace the uniqueness of this virtual option until we can meet again.”

Visitors can browse virutal showrooms of their favorite vendors, chat online with shop owners and purchase food, merchanidse and crafts in various online stores. Throughouth the four hour long event, there will be live music, interviews with local companies and even a strawberry shortcake eating contest.

Attendees must sign up with a valid email address. Anyone with questions can also email cedarburgfestivals@yahoo.com.