People prepare to pack Cedarburg for first Strawberry Festival since 2019

CEDARBURG, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Organizers of Cedarburg's Strawberry Festival are expecting nearly 100,000 people to pack Washington Ave. between Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26. 

The popular festival is finally back after being forced to cancel for two years in a row because of the pandemic. 

Whether you want a savory brat or a sweet treat, you can find anything cooked with strawberries in Cedarburg this weekend. 

"We're going to make about 10,000 pancakes from scratch," said Josh McCutcheon, the coordinator at Cedar Creek Settlement Festival. 

The pancakes are all-you-can-eat on Sunday, and they're drizzled in strawberries, of course. 

COVID-19 put the festival in a bit of a jam. That means hundreds of vendors and dozens of businesses missed out. 

"It's so important to our town. It makes us vibrant and fun and unique town, but these festivals have a huge economic impact on not only the Cedarburg community, but the surrounding communities," said Jon Willems.

Organizers are ready to welcome people back to Cedarburg, especially the winery that started it all. 

"The decision was to do it around the strawberry blush, so it started in the parking lot when festivals weren't as huge of a thing," said Cedar Creek general manager, Steve Danner. 

The event now covers all of Washington Avenue downtown.