Eastside Heritage Center is excited to introduce the Microsoft Store as the Main Stage & Presenting Sponsor of the 2012 Bellevue Strawberry Festival, to be held at Crossroads International Park on Saturday, June 23, 2012 from 10 AM to 8 PM and Sunday, June 24, 2012 from 10 AM to 5 PM.

The sponsorship is the culmination of a month-long partnership in March between Eastside Heritage Center and the Microsoft Store in Bellevue Square to present local history programming and workshops for the community. The Microsoft Store is dedicated to reaching out to people of all ages, and to businesses in the community, providing tools and educational opportunities to help build a better future.

Eastside Heritage Center’s annual Bellevue Strawberry Festival celebrates the region’s agricultural heritage, as well as its diverse cultural past, present and future. This family-oriented, historic community event features fresh strawberry shortcake, hands-on history experiences, food and vendor booths, entertainment, a Classic Auto Show and tons of Family Fun with games, inflatable bouncers, strawberry shortcake eating contests and much more. In 2011, more than 40,000 people attended the two-day event, consuming 6,000 lbs of strawberries!

As the Main Stage & Presenting Sponsor, the Microsoft Store will be bringing an Xbox 360 Kinect experience to the Festival this year. With Kinect games, YOU are the controller. Literally. So if you find yourself jumping around, battling the dark side or break dancing in front of your children, don’t be surprised. It’s all part of the fun that the Microsoft Store will provide for Festival goers!

Eastside Heritage Center is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization committed to preserving the past as it builds community and connects people with their heritage. In addition to maintaining and preserving the largest collection of artifacts, photos and archival material related to East King County, Washington, the EHC focuses on sharing this collection with the community through exhibits, books, presentations and a wide variety of educational programming. Eastside Heritage Center was supported by over 5,600 volunteer hours in 2011 and engages more than 1.1 million people through its programs and services annually. For more information on the Eastside Heritage Center, visit www.eastsideheritagecenter.org.

The Strawberry Festival is a family-oriented, historic community event, featuring fresh strawberry shortcake, historical and agricultural exhibits, food and vendor booths, entertainment, a Classic Auto Show and a Family Fun Area with games, inflatable bouncers, strawberry shortcake eating contests and much more.  In 2009, more than 40,000 people attended the two-day event, consuming 6,000 lbs of strawberries!

Through the Strawberry Festival, the Eastside Heritage Center endeavors to create public awareness for the organization and to promote community involvement in and appreciation of Eastside history.

Booth Spaces range from $60 to $310:

Non-profit information only

Non-profit merchandise sales

Profit hand-crafted Merchandise

Profit Import and Manufactured Merchandise.

Main Stage Entertainers:

Saturday and Sunday
30-50 Minute Sets

Ethnic, Dance and Community Entertainers Encouraged

The Festival is a revival of the original Lake Washington Strawberry Festival begun in 1925 to attract business and residents to Bellevue.  Cancelled in 1942 due to WWII, the Festival was revived in 1987 by the Bellevue Historical Society (now the Eastside Heritage Center) as a single-evening celebration in June, honoring Bellevue’s agricultural heritage.  Since that time, it has grown to a large two-day event, attracting not only visitors from the greater Eastside, but the entire Puget Sound area.

Eastside Heritage Center is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization committed to preserving the past as it builds community and connects people with their heritage. In addition to maintaining and preserving the largest collection of artifacts, photos and archival material related to East King County, Washington, the EHC focuses on sharing this collection with the community through exhibits, books, presentations and a wide variety of educational programming. For more information on the Eastside Heritage Center, visit www.eastsideheritagecenter.org.

To become a Strawberry Festival Vendor or Entertainer, contact the Eastside Heritage Center at (425) 450-1049 or email Jennifer@bellevuestrawberryfestival.org. For complete Festival details, applications and forms, visit www.bellevuestrawberryfestival.org.