Strawberry Festival holds opening ceremony for eager attendees

HUMBOLDT, Tenn. — The annual West Tennessee Strawberry Festival held its opening ceremony this evening, May 6, to eager attendees.

Hundreds came out to enjoy an evening of fun at Barker Memorial Stadium in Humboldt to kick off this year’s Strawberry Festival.

“Tonight, this really kicks it off. We’ll have all the queens and everyone here tonight, fireworks, music, and it oughta just get everybody in the right mood for this week,” said Mayor of Humboldt, Marvin Sikes.

After a quick shower that saw everyone running to their car, the rain passed and the good times continued.

Mayor Sikes said, when it comes to weather, you just power through it.

“This festival at this time is on cruise control. Whatever happens happens and there’s not much you can do about it. You know, you can move things around but it’s on cruise control. It’s all good,” said Mayor Sikes.

After the rain moved out, kids could be seen enjoying face painting, balloon tying, shirt painting, games, and more.

For the upcoming week, Mayor Sikes says this year is not a repeat of last year.

“A lot of things may have been done the same but this year, its just got a little more excitement to it,” said Mayor Sikes.

Mayor Sikes says this is a time of year that thousands visit Humboldt from all over West Tennessee and surrounding areas and this serves as a time where they get to show their town off.

“We’ve got a lot of people in our area that we didn’t have. You know, a lot of people have moved in and they just can’t believe a town this small puts on a festival this big,” said Mayor Sikes.

The week will continue with plenty of fun events, with tomorrow serving as the first night of the carnival.

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