Strawberry Fest kicks off Friday

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- The 13th annual strawberry festival, which is themed as “Sowing the Seeds of Meaningful Friendships,” officially kicks off in March 1 and will run until April 8, 2013.

A mass will open the festival on Friday at the municipality.

On March 4, a literary, musical and dance competition will be held at the municipal gym. The same day is also the deadline of the submissions of the participants for the street dancing parade, which is set in March 18.

The parade is divided into two categories: high school and barangay levels.

On March 22, a strawberry wedding is set to legally bind couples in matrimony.

New additions to the festival include the Strawberry Night Classic, which will gather balikbayans of the town for a night of fine dining and music.

The night will also unveil the new packaging and processing of wine.

On March 25, the history of the Valley will be bared showing research the town was established before the formation of the City of Baguio dubbed as “La Trinidad, Shi Bunguit (Benguet), Tan Kafagway,” a multi-cultural presentation.

The theatrical presentation will gather students from the Valley as well as the nearby universities in Baguio City to portray the arrival of Guillermo Galve, one of the first Spanish explorers to come to the town in the 1800s.

Administrative Officer Dwight Daodao said a cleanup drive along the Strawberry Fields is scheduled in March 27 by over 140 adaptors of the estero project by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the town in a bid to clean the Balili River.