PONCHATOULA - Folks in Ponchatoula are not letting COVID-19 stop all their fun this weekend even though the big Strawberry Festival has been canceled for the second year in a row.

"The community is pulling together to do something," Madi Massel said.

Massel is the manager of the Country Market. She says in place of the festivals, her market is having Strawberry Farmer Days this weekend, allowing local farmers to sell their berries, arts and crafts.

"The strawberry farmers have been hit really hard the last 2 years, with their sales and COVID," Massel said."

And there will also be Strawberry in the Park Day on Saturday at Memorial Park in Ponchatoula, where their big festival has been held for almost 50 years.

The Strawberry Festival attracts hundreds of thousands every year. Having to cancel it for 2 years in a row is hurting businesses and local non-profits that rely on the festival as their chief fundraiser of the year.

"They got to try to find something else to create money to sponsor little league baseball, little league football or what ever they do," Strawberry Festival Board, Donald Lanier said.

Lanier says the weekend strawberry festivities are will go on as scheduled at 9 in the morning, but may be delayed because of weather.