The 2018 Troy Strawberry Festival Committee has announced plans for this year’s Friday night festivities. Billed as the “Hometown Kickoff Celebration,” the event is created specifically for local residents with an emphasis on family friendly activities including a Crazy Sock Fun Run, Children’s Parade and Big Wheel Race.

“The Hometown Kickoff Celebration is created with families in mind,” said Eric Roetter, 2018 Festival Chair. “We are planning events to be conveniently timed so families can enjoy all parts of the event, while also taking advantage of Troy’s beautiful and unique Treasure Island area.”

The Hometown Kickoff Celebration will begin on Friday, June 1, with the Crazy Sock Fun Run at 6 p.m., followed by the Children’s Parade at 6:15 p.m., and the Big Wheel Race at 6:30 p.m. The Homegrown Talent competition will take place simultaneously on Treasure Island’s stage from 6-7:30 p.m., followed by a concert by the popular regional band Velvet Crush from 7:30-9 p.m. Attendees can also enjoy dinner offered by a wide variety of food vendors partnered with local nonprofits specifically for this Friday night event. The Troy/Piqua Alumni Flag Football game will move to Saturday this year.

“We’re really happy with how plans are coming together for the Hometown Kickoff Celebration,” Roetter said. “Our goal is to make sure that Troy and Miami County residents feel a strong sense of pride about our community as we prepare to invite everyone to visit the festival.”

The mission of the Troy Strawberry Festival is to create a vibrant and welcoming festival experience which results in positive recognition and economic impact for the Troy Community and for local non-profit organizations. Its vision is to to be the best small town festival in the Midwest. For more information about the 2018 Troy Strawberry Festival, visit www.gostrawberries.com or call (937) 339-7714.