By Darlene Brace
As summer approaches, we welcome the arrival of delicious homegrown strawberries in Western New York. This also means it’s time for Merritt Winery’s Annual Strawberry Festival, located at 2264 King Road in Forestville. Come and enjoy this fun-filled family event, a cherished community tradition since it opened its doors in 1976. This year’s festival will take place from June 6th to June 8th, and it will be packed with delicious food and great entertainment, where you can create some wonderful memories!
The festival kicks off at 5pm on Friday, and concessions will be serving delicious food that night and all weekend long. Enjoy a variety of tasty options, including chicken Caesar wraps, chicken sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, French fries, and a selection of side dishes, among other available options. Be sure not to fill up too much, as you’ll want to save room for dessert. You won’t be able to resist the scrumptious strawberry shortcake or strawberries dipped in chocolate!
and other locations to enjoy Merritt’s wines and the Strawberry
Festival. If you want more Strawberry Festival information,
go to merrittestatewinery.com or their Facebook page.
The winery is located at 2264 King Rd, Forestville, NY 14062.
Inside the wine store, wine tasting will be available, and you will have a variety of wines to choose from, ranging from sweet to dry. You can purchase any of the available wines by the glass or the bottle. There will also be a great selection of adult beverages, with at least six refreshing beers on tap and their wine slushes that have become very popular.
The entertainment starts when Uncle Ben’s Remedy takes the stage, along with Ten Cent Howel, for an evening of live country rock music from 7-10pm. Just a heads-up, there won’t be any vendors set up on Friday night, but you can enjoy the food and live music to kick off the festival.
On Saturday, the festival is open from 12-10pm and all the vendors and activities will be up and running. A variety of vendors will be set up on the grounds, selling crafts and novelty items, including homemade soaps, jewelry, home décor, gourmet popcorn, and other specialty treats.
Saturday features a full day of live music. Dark Horse Run will kick things off from 12-3pm with a mix of rock and country. Next, popular WNY band Black Widow returns to the Strawberry Festival, performing from 3:30-6:30pm with their rock and pop tunes. The evening will close out with Strictly Hip from 7pm-10pm. You surely will enjoy this great music and maybe get you up there dancing.
The festival will feature a variety of fun activities, but unfortunately, it won’t include the classic car cruise-in this year. Attendees who usually participate in the cruise-in are encouraged to attend the AGC cruise-in in Dunkirk during the first week of August. However, there’s an exciting new addition of a mechanical bull ride that allows people of all ages to experience the thrill of trying to stay on for a ride as long as they can. It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser, whether you ride or simply just watch!
To keep the little ones busy, there will be children’s activities available on Saturday and Sunday, including face painting, a bounce house, and a balloon artist as well as plenty of space for them to move around and enjoy some dancing.
On Sunday afternoon, the festival will be running from 12-6:30pm and all the vendors, activities, and live music continue. From 12-3pm, WNY’s party band Sequins will be playing old favorites from the 70s through today’s hits. To conclude the festival’s live music, Run Away Train will take the stage from 3:30-6:30pm, playing a variety of party rock and pop tunes.
Each year, the Merritts choose a local charity to collect donations for in place of charging admission or parking fees. This year’s Strawberry Festival will be collecting donations on behalf of the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County.
People come from all over New York State, Pennsylvania, and other locations to enjoy Merritt’s wines and the Strawberry Festival. If you want more Strawberry Festival information, go to merrittestatewinery.com or their Facebook page. The winery is located at 2264 King Rd, Forestville, NY 14062.
The Merritt Strawberry Festival is always the first weekend in June and is a fun way to kick off the summer season. Your group will enjoy this festival’s great live music, delicious foods and beverages, and of course, strawberry desserts. Come to the Merritt Strawberry Festival and see what it’s all about.