MARYSVILLE — The Marysville Strawberry Festival Arts and Crafts Market packed Asbery Field with attendees and vendor tents June 20, as clothing and jewelry sellers shared space with everyone from hairdressers to chiropractors.
For the kids, the market provided a miniature golf course, bouncy houses and slides, and a climbing rock wall. For adults, the market was an opportunity to interact with local merchants and regional businesses, as they showed off homemade candles and wood sculptures, and provided information on subjects such as phone service plans and fundraising campaigns on behalf of the Marysville Historical Society. For attendees of all ages, there were plenty of food stands under the hot summer sun.
Clint Huffman and his family have lived in Marysville for four years, and this year marked their third at the Strawberry Festival. When asked to sum up his favorite parts of the market, Huffman was succinct.
“The food,” Huffman laughed. “Carnival food, you’ve got to have it. I like the corn, and the strawberry shortcakes were nice.”
Although Huffman wasn’t in the market for any items in particular, he still enjoyed wandering through the field full of vendor tents.
“It’s nice to browse around and see what’s going on,” Huffman said. “You get exposed to the whole city.”
Huffman was grateful for the warm weather, and appreciated that the children’s play area was available to his 5-year-old daughter, although he had hoped that area might be a bit bigger.
Tammy Dehnhoff has been attending the Strawberry Festival and the market with her family for the past 24 years, since her son was born, which is as long as they’ve lived here.
“I come for the junk food, the sun, the parade, the crafts, everything,” Dehnhoff said. “We’re looking for homemade bibs for baby this year.”
Ren Nomura checked out the market and the Strawberry Festival for the first time this year. A member of Turning Point Community Church in Marysville, Nomura came out to support his fellow church members as they staged their float for the Grand Parade.
“My wife is part of that,” Nomura said. “In the meantime, we decided to bring the kid out and have a good time. We’ve already got some pet tags, we’ve seen some hot rods, and we’ve seen a lot of friends. There’s a lot of things out here.”
As Nomura spoke to The Marysville Globe, his wife mentioned the sundresses being sold at a nearby tent.
“When you hear dresses mentioned three times, that’s a hint,” Nomura laughed. “So, it looks like I’ll be spending some money.”
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