Organizers of the annual Garden Grove Strawberry Festival said for now the four-day event is still happening this Memorial Day weekend.
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Activities got underway on Friday as more than 4.5 miles away, residents and businesses of the West Garden Grove area were being evacuated while first responders dealt with a leaking 34,000-gallon chemical tank containing methyl methacrylate, a flammable, volatile chemical used in plastics and manufacturing at an aerospace plant on Western Avenue. There were concerns that the tank could explode or have a large spill of the toxic material.
As of 3 p.m. on Friday, across town at Village Green Park on Main Street, event organizers said the Strawberry Festival, which typically attracts about 250,000 people over its four-day course, is “still happening.”
“Everything’s happening at the festival here. But as far as anything in the future, it’s all a ‘what if’ until that thing actually blows or if it doesn’t. It’s an unsure thing right now,” festival director Jeff Sanders said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
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The festival, Garden Grove’s biggest annual event, is in its 66th year. The event has a shopping area, youth rides and rides for the more adventurous, carnival games, lots of food for sale and more.
The parade, a long-time festival highlight, is planned to kick off at 10 a.m. on Saturday and travel along Chapman Avenue, Euclid Avenue and down by Garden Grove High.
Sanders is asking attendees to check the official Strawberry Festival Facebook page for event updates.
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