Enjoy this historic festival with a 5K or 10K race on Saturday, June 20.
Although it started as the “Strawberry Festival”, Berry Dairy Days has been a consistent part of the community for the past 88 years! Berry Dairy Days continues to celebrate Burlington’s history, agriculture, farming, traditions and community. In 1937, the first annual “Berry Dairy Days” was launched when the Burlington volunteer firefighters organized a fundraiser to purchase new equipment. The community event served as a fundraiser and a way to celebrate strawberry farming in Burlington. To add excitement and draw a crowd, they made a giant strawberry shortcake that was pulled down Fairhaven Avenue in red wagons. Pieces of the cake were handed to the crowd that had gathered to catch a glimpse of the shortcake. As the festival grew not only in size but in scope, in 1965 the event was handed over to the Burlington Chamber of Commerce to continue the tradition. Then-President Roger Hulbush, along with other community members, decided to re-name the festival “Berry Dairy Days” to reflect the growing influence of the dairy business and ongoing strawberry farming in Burlington. Now, the festival is co-hosted by the Burlington Chamber of Commerce and the City of Burlington. Berry Dairy Days is one of the oldest festivals in Skagit County. It still represents Burlington’s impressive agriculture and farming community. This three day festival includes a variety of awesome events.