Eckert’s kicks off strawberry season with festivities at Belleville farm, store

Pick-your-own strawberries returns to the family farm, a 60’s and 70’s themed Strawberry Fields Forever event planned for May 11, Strawberry Festival starting May 13

Eckert’s Farm, the family farm and country store in Belleville, Ill.  (951 S. Green Mount Rd., Belleville, IL 62220), announces the return of pick-your-own strawberries starting this Saturday, May 6. Field access reservations are available now online.

Guests can head out to Eckert’s strawberry fields to pick the fresh fruit daily, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., starting at $2 per person (children under 2 years old are free).

The farm will also host a 21+ event, Strawberry Fields Forever on Thursday, May 11 from 6 – 9 p.m.

Additionally, the farm’s highly anticipated Strawberry Festival returns this weekend, Saturday, May 13 and Sunday, May 14, and runs every Saturday and Sunday in May through the weekend of May 27 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Eckert’s Strawberry Fields Forever event offers guests 21+ a tractor ride and field access to the farm, a signature Strawberry Cocktail served in a Strawberry Sipper cup, a flight of Eckert’s signature hard ciders, a complimentary pint of strawberries, and a jarcuterie (think charcuterie, but in a jar) per guest. DJ Chris Carrell will be playing 60’s and 70’s music in the Cider Shed for guests to finish the night off after their sunset tractor ride. Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased online on Eckert’s website.

Eckert’s Strawberry Festival offers an all-American carnival with fun on the farm for the whole family. Enjoy tractor rides out to the pick-your-own strawberry fields, festival foods, carnival rides, a wagon ride, a petting zoo, and more through Memorial Day. This will be an unticketed event, but fees will be charged for some activities.

“With the changing temperatures these past few months, our farmers were hard at work preserving our strawberries for this year,” says President, Chris Eckert. “It’s always a celebration when we get to welcome new and returning guests for the start of Eckert’s pick-your-own season and we’re thrilled to kick the festivities off with new  strawberry-inspired  events this weekend.”

For more information about Eckert’s or the strawberry season’s events, visit www.eckerts.com or follow Eckert’s on Instagram and Facebook.

About Eckert’s

Eckert’s Inc. is the largest family-owned and operated pick-your-own orchard in the United States. Originally established as a farm and simple roadside stand in Illinois, the Eckert family now owns and operates farming, entertainment and retail entities in Belleville, Grafton and Millstadt, Illinois as well as most recently, Versailles, Kentucky. For a century, Eckert’s has been a local source for agricultural products including asparagus, beets, zucchini, kale, squash, onions and peppers, strawberries, blackberries, peaches, apples and pumpkins, and more. Guests of Eckert’s farms get to experience the farming practices firsthand with the farms’ pick-your-own produce experiences during growing seasons. Today, Eckert’s offers year-round programming for all at their farms and Country Store. For more information, visit www.eckerts.com  Follow on social media @eckertfarms on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Pinterest.