NORTHWEST FESTIVAL HOSTING GROUP
Marysville rolls out the red carpet when other festival, parade dignitaries come to town for Strawberry Festival
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glance at the nine-day Strawberry Festival schedule of events gives visitors more than enough ways to spend their time in Marysville, but for festival volunteers, there are so many more tasks and activities behind the scenes than meet the eye. Maryfest, the organization that puts on the Strawberry Festival, is a longtime proud member of the Northwest Festival Hosting Group, an organization made up of nine festivals throughout the Pacific Northwest. Maryfest joined this close knit group in 2001 operating philosophy is to work together and commit to supporting each other by sending a delegation to each member’s festival. By being a part of Northwest Festivals, Marysville can rely on the participation of at least 10 other community floats/festivals in our Grand Parade. A hosting package is offered at each community’s festival which generally includes accommodations, receptions, a formal or semi-formal dinner, entertainment, and a farewell breakfast on Sunday morning. Of course, the members are also participating in the Grand Parade. Last year before the Strawberry Festival, volunteers Sandie Phipps and Cheryl Robinson organized Marysville’s Northwest Hospitality Weekend on parade weekend at the Holiday Inn Express, with a hospitality room in the hotel’s Event Center. The President’s Reception welcomed dignitaries from the other participant-toting community festival organizations, with an evening of socializing, dinner, a choir and magician. Other welcoming activities over the weekend include a VIP Reception on parade day, and breakfast provided by the hotel. This year’s hosting is being coordinated by board member Alice VanBeek. 36
A community choir performs at a President’s Reception Dinner hosted by Maryfest in Marysville’s Holiday Inn Express Event Center last June during the Strawberry Festival Parade weekend. Maryfest is a longtime member of the Northwest Festival Hosting Group, putting on dinners, entertainment and a farewell breakfast to welcome dignitaries from other festivals and parades. Strawberry Festival Royalty also led attendees in the “Do the Strawberry Jam” Dance, while a local magician brought a little magic and comedy to the event.
When the Marysville parade entourage takes to the road, they are afforded the same sort of welcome when they arrive in other parade communities. Marysville’s hard-working volunteers who accompany the float spend hours setting up, operat-
ing, and tearing down the float, in addition to making the rounds meeting with their counterparts for official activities. For many midday parades, it isn’t unusual to depart Marysville at 4 a.m., depending on distances and whether an overnight stay is required. •
Marysville Strawberry Festival | JUNE 2019