GARDEN GROVE : 300,000 May Attend Strawberry Festival

About 300,000 people are expected for the 32nd annual Strawberry Festival this weekend in Village Green Park.

Actor and singer Ben Vereen will be the grand marshal for the main event on Saturday, the Strawberry Festival Parade.

The festival will begin at 1 p.m. Friday in the park at Euclid Street and Stanford Avenue. The highlight of Friday’s festivities includes the traditional slicing of what is billed as the “world’s largest strawberry shortcake.”

On Saturday, festival hours are 10 a.m. to midnight. The main event is the parade, which will feature 150 units and actor-comedian Billy Barty, disc jockey Jay Thomas and the Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders.

Sunday’s hours will be noon to 11:30 p.m. Featured events will include the Red-Headed Roundup and a pie-eating contest. The festival, which concludes Monday, and also includes games, rides, arts, food and crafts.