Strawberries and teddy bears come together for festival at Wellington County museum

Teddy bears and strawberries shared the spotlight at a special Elora event.

The Wellington County Museum and Archives saw thousands come out to their Strawberry Festival and Teddy Bear Picnic on Saturday.

The day featured live music, dozens of vendors, a barbecue, picnics, food trucks, games for kids, strawberry treats, strawberry science information, and of course the Teddy Bear Caper, where kids could showcase their plushand furry friends.

"A community member named Pat Mestern has been running the Teddy Bear Caper for a long time," said Mike McGill, a programmer at the museum. "She approached us and said she wanted to have it at the museum, and we said, 'of course, let's do it.'

"We combined the strawberry social and the Teddy Bear Caper into the wonderful Strawberry Festival this year."

The festival is based off events that started back in the 19^th century called strawberry socials.

"They used to have a strawberry social and festival here at the museum, but they haven't had one since around 2000, so we decided to bring it back," said McGill.

Originally, the museum was planning for a few hundred people to show up.

"We then had thousands show interest online, and we've already had a few thousand come through [in the first two hours]," said McGill. "So I'd say it's a success."

The museum plansto continue the festival as an annual tradition.