GARDEN GROVE : Strawberry Festival Set for Weekend

Gymnasts Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner will be grand marshals in a parade during the 35th annual Strawberry Festival Friday through May 31 at Village Green Park, 12862 Euclid Ave. The parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

And actor Billy Barty will be back for the eighth straight year as master of ceremonies for the Tiny Tots King and Queen contest for ages children 3 to 6.

There will also be carnival games and rides, and crafts, food, civic and home improvement booths. Admission is free.

Founded in 1958, the Strawberry Festival has benefited more than 150 charities, sponsors say, raising more than $1 million for various organizations.

Earlier this year, Strawberry Festival officials contributed about $140,000 to local groups from money raised in 1992. Projects ranged from the acquisition of video cameras for police cars to the purchase of two dental chairs for the Assistance League of Orange County, which provides free dental care for needy children.

Garden Grove civic leaders founded the festival to promote the city and Orange County because of its leading role as a strawberry producer in the nation. The agricultural lands have given way to growth and strawberry fields have shrunk to about 80 acres.

But festival attendance has boomed. Last year, the four-day event drew about 250,000.