The Orange County Tribune Every Wednesday & Saturday Strawberry Festival

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Park Elementary School in West Garden Grove. “A professional volunteer.” She joined the GGSFA seven years ago and now is in charge of it all.

“It’s a very time-consuming job,” she said. Is this year’s festival going to be as big a hit as last year’s, with record attendance and funds raised? “Yes, I hope so. I’m a little nervous, honestly.”

Understandable, since the festival is one of the largest such events in the Western U.S. and is run entirely by volunteers who – like Andrea – receive no wages or salary for many hours, days and weeks of work. So why put that much effort into it?

“People love the festival,” she said. “This one is the 63rd year. People bring their families. Grandparents bring their grand- children. It’s a family-friendly environment, it’s free and it brings the community together.”

Speaking of family, Taylor, 21, is a student at Cal State Fullerton who’s has been wearing the berry costume for years.

“I’m the only one who fits into it,” she said, smiling. Which goes both ways. “I like to make the kids smile. I like to see the excitement on people’s faces. Infants, babies, toddlers, grandparents come up and take photos of them with me. I feel like I’m a celebrity.”

The celebration starts on Friday and continues this Memorial Day weekend through Monday. You can see Andrea and Taylor in the parade on Saturday morning, mom riding in a car and daughter on foot, both doing their berry berry best to help continue a hometown tradition.