One of Windsor-Essex's most popular festivals will have a more extended stay at its new venue.
LaSalle Town Council has decided to make the Strawberry Festival's move from Gil Maure Park to the Vollmer Complex at least semi-permanent, voting to hold the event at the recreation centre through at least 2022.
A previous version of the motion called for the festival to stay at Vollmer through 2024, but it was shortened after deliberations.
Mayor Marc Bondy said keeping the festival at the Vollmer Complex makes the months-long planning of the event easier for organizers.
"For the time being, the relocation makes sense to allow the administration to begin putting their plans in place for the logistics of the event. We don't want to wait and then have to move the festival at the last minute again," said Bondy.
The 2019 festival was forced to move to the Vollmer Complex after high water levels on the Detroit River caused overland flooding along the LaSalle shoreline. The flooding affected not only Gil Maure Park, but also the town's boat launch, the adjoining parking lots, and businesses along Front Street.
The move was thought at the time to be for 2019 only. Deputy Mayor Crystal Meloche had said that the comfort of festival visitors, vendors and volunteers trumped everything else.
"This is the best option for this year. Safety is always the number one concern for the town of LaSalle," said Meloche.
Keeping the festival at Vollmer is also in response to concerns raised by the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA), who said water levels might remain high into 2020 and perhaps beyond.
The Strawberry Festival is typically held on the first full weekend in June, though the 2020 dates have not been finalized. The festival ranks high in popularity among Windsor-Essex events and is consistently listed among the top 100 festivals in Ontario.