The roots of the LaSalle Strawberry Festival: Why is it named after strawberries?

The LaSalle Strawberry Festival celebrated 36 years with as it returned from Jun. 6 to 9, 2024. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor).

Jason Trealout was there at the very first Strawberry Festival in LaSalle 36 years ago.

"The first festival was at Front Road Park,” said Trealout who was 16 at the time. “It was quite a bit smaller than it is now. It was something new for the town. It was something we were super excited about."

But if you've recently moved to LaSalle or are one of the town's younger residents, you may not know the sweet story behind the festival's name.

While current-day LaSalle might not be overflowing with strawberry gardens, that wasn't the case when the festival started all those years ago.

"Local community groups were looking to start a festival here in LaSalle to celebrate the community and there were quite a number of strawberry farms at the time in the area," said Patti Funaro, LaSalle's director of culture and recreation.

"To avoid clashing with other festivals, that's how the Strawberry Fest was born."

According to the town's website, chairperson Marg Gignac led about 50 community members to organize the first LaSalle Strawberry Festival in 1988.

Over time, the "strawberry" name has stuck — even though LaSalle has seen many of its strawberry farms close.

"Today, there are still some farms in LaSalle, but not for strawberries," said Funaro.

For nearly all of the first 24 editions of the LaSalle festival, strawberries were imported from outside Ontario. That changed in 2012 when the Strawberry Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary.

"The berries we use for the festival are local to the region. They're from Raymont's Berries in Cottam," said Funaro.

For Trealout, attending the Strawberry Festival quickly became a family tradition.

He remembers visiting his grandparents' house because they lived close to the festival site on Front Road.

"We enjoyed the entire weekend there," he said.

At the 36th edition of the LaSalle Strawberry Festival this weekend, Trealout — now 50 years old — worked as a security guard, ensuring the safety of the festival for the next generation.

"I really didn't know this festival would grow into what it is today," said Trealout.