Photograph by E. Chris Wisner

Susannah Lonac shares a fresh strawberry milkshake with her mother, Tanya Lonac, at last year's Strawberry Festival.




Strawberry Festival is always berry fun for all

By Shari Kaplan

When nine tons of fresh strawberries arrive at West Valley College in Saratoga on June 9, it's a sure sign that the 40th annual Strawberry Festival is about to start. Indeed it is; June 10 and 11 will be days filled with a wide variety of foods and alcohol-free drinks--many highlighting the red berry du jour. An even wider array of arts and crafts booths, live entertainment in several genres and children's games and activities are also part of the fun.

New to the festival this year is a 5K- run and walk for participants of all skill levels. The event, called Run for the Kids, begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. on June 11. A registration fee of $25 benefits EMQ.

An annual favorite, the Babies 'n' Berries photography contest, is open to all children ages 5 and younger. To enter the free contest, family or friends must submit a berry-themed photo of a child--either eating, drinking, playing with or covered in the sweet fruits--by June 11 at the Kids Vote Booth in the Kids Carnival area. First- second- and third-place prizes will be awarded.

An annual fundraiser for the nonprofit EMQ Children and Family Services started 40 years ago. The Strawberry Festival began in the backyard of a generous Los Gatos resident to provide allowances for the children living at the former Ming Quong residential facility in Los Gatos.

The Strawberry Festival has since grown, and relocated several times. It attracts thousands of visitors each year and raises many thousands of dollars for EMQ.

The Campbell-based organization helps children with serious emotional disturbances--and their families--achieve and maintain emotional health and independence through a broad range of treatment plans, counseling, foster care, chemical dependency prevention, educational services and training programs. EMQ also maintains campuses in Los Gatos and San Jose.

The first strawberry festival, held in the backyard of a Ming Quong volunteer, later moved to the EMQ Los Gatos campus, which was the Ming Quong Home originally established as an orphanage for Chinese girls. The home later became an orphanage for boys and girls of all races and, eventually, a home for children with emotional problems. Eastfield, which was an orphanage called Home of Benevolence, and Ming Quong merged in 1987 to become Eastfield Ming Quong.

In recent years, the agency changed its name to EMQ Children and Family Services.

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Festival admission and parking are both free. West Valley College is at 14000 Fruitvale Ave. For directions or more information about the festival, call 408.437.8359, or visit www.emq.org/strawber.htm on the Internet.

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