Summer event to take place on Jefferson Street
By Angie Landsverk
Strawberry Fest will be held in a different location in 2021 due to the reconstruction of Waupaca’s Main Street.
The street will be reconstructed from Badger to Granite streets.
The Waupaca Area Convention and Visitors Bureau holds Strawberry Fest throughout the downtown area.
Next year’s event will take place on Saturday, June 19.
“With construction planned, we brainstormed ideas for where to relocate in 2021,” said Mitch Swenson, vice president of tourism, told Waupaca Common Council on Dec. 1.
He said they are optimistic the event can be held next year, and they need to move forward with the planning.
The bureau is working with the city and Trinity Lutheran Church for Strawberry Fest’s temporary site.
It will incorporate Trinity Lutheran Church’s parking lot, a portion of Jefferson Street and the Waupaca Area Chamber of Commerce’s east parking area.
The Chamber’s parking area will be used for food service.
Arts and crafts vendors will be located in the church’s parking lot, as well as part of Jefferson Street.
The common council approved the plan.
Street closings
• Jefferson Street to vehicular traffic from Badger to Deer streets.
• Division Street to through traffic from Badger to Deer streets.
• Deer Street to through traffic.
The street closures will be in effect from 5 p.m. Friday, June 18 until 6 p.m. Saturday, June 19.
Swenson said they reached out to all the property owners who would be affected and asked if they had any concerns.
The primary concern people had was being able to get in and out of their driveways, he said.
Swenson said there will be emergency access to the properties, with people able to get in and out of their driveways on the streets closed to through traffic.
“We had a lot of positive comments about keeping the event going,” he told the council.
Swenson noted they wanted to keep Strawberry Fest as close to downtown as possible, with the hope of still driving traffic to downtown businesses.
Next year’s temporary location will also place the event near the Waupaca Recreation Center, where the model railroad event takes place, he said.