Thousands celebrate summer's arrival in Kokomo with a favorite treat

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The Strawberry Festival returned to downtown Kokomo on June 6 with a record-breaking crowd and more than 160 vendor booths. With attendance easily surpassing 10,000 over the course of the day, hundreds of volunteers slung strawberry shortcake, much to the delight of children and children-at-heart.

This year’s iteration of the festival, organized by the Kokomo Downtown Association, featured many returning favorite features, such as the Artsapalooza Market along North Main Street and the ABATE mini-motorbike track nestled on West Walnut.

They were joined by a bevy of berry-themed booths, a wide variety of culinary concoctions, live music throughout the day, and even a dunk tank for charity featuring local celebrities, Kokomo Fire Fighters, and willing employees of Community First Bank who operated the station.

The festival ran from 11 a.m. until nearly 9 p.m. as strawberry lovers showed up early and stayed late, not only celebrating the return of the shortcakes, but also enjoying the temperate, yet humid, arrival of the summer season.

See additional photos from this year’s Strawberry Festival on the Lantern’s Facebook page or group.