Founded in 1909, when strawberry farms were all over Vashon Island’s landscape, Vashon Island Strawberry Festival takes pride in its local, small-town flair.
There’s a grand parade on Saturday, July 20, at 11 a.m., with kids leading the way, a street dance from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday outside the Vashon Liquor store, a pancake breakfast on 7 a.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday in the Vashon Market IGA parking lot, a classic car parade 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, and a fair with an astounding array of arts and crafts booths, artists and artisans being as ubiquitous on today’s Vashon as strawberry farmers were a century ago.
There’s also a train ride for kids, six stages showing bands and other entertainment, plus an assortment of venders selling grub with all the attributes of classic American fair food: sugar, salt, fat and sticks.
The most hassle-free way to join the merriment is to go car free. Take the Rapidride C line bus to the Fauntleroy ferry terminal, take the ferry to Vashon Island, where you can catch a bus at the terminal that will take you to the fair. If you bring your car, expect waits at the ferry to get on and off the island. Legal parking around the Fauntleroy ferry terminal is hard to find, so count on half-mile or longer walk to the ferry if your plan is to park on the West Seattle side and walk on the ferry.
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