Strawberry Fest to Crown the Festival’s Queen Tonight During the Annual Strawberry Auction

Strawberry farms have picked the fruit. Local artisans have crafted sweet treats. And local ladies will show off plates of strawberries tonight. Chassell’s community will begin descending on Cenntenial Park today for craft vendors and activities before the evening brings out the 2024 Strawberry Queen Candidates and starts the strawberry auction.

The eleven candidates this year include; former track and volleyball athlete and 2024 graduate from Chassell Schools Amya Neimi, Houghton High School graduate and community volunteer Ayla Miller, poet/writer Chloe Snell, who plans to attend Northern Michigan University in the fall, Coralee Daugherty who studies accounting and finance as a double major at Michigan Technological University, future Michigan State nursing student Danielle Williston, future LSSU student-athlete Giselle Wittanen, volunteer middle school volleyball coach Shayla Elmblad, Gogebic Community College and Chassell Schools dual enrollee Lily Etelamaki, Young Women in Leadership Program at MTU graduate Nora Keranen, Copper Country Humane Society volunteer Raylyn Mattila, and future member of the National Guard Claire Filpus.

 In the last several years the strawberry auction has done exceptionally well. I think last year we raised over 4000 dollars, which is local people purchasing flats, and quarts of strawberries. Or a lot of the homemade jams, jellies, and other baked goods. The chocolate-dipped strawberries are a very hot item here, Which go over very well. I think last year they went for over 3000 dollars for a couple of quarts of chocolate-dipped strawberries. We appreciate all of the local support and the volunteers that come out to help us. – Dan Crane, Secretary, Chassell Lions Club

While judges consider each candidate’s qualities as a representative of the Chassell community and strawberry festival an auctioneer will begin calling numbers on lot items. The candidates will parade around the Centennial Park pavilion showing off each plate of chocolate strawberries, jams and jellies, and many more delicious baskets of fresh berries. Last year the auction raised nearly 4,000 dollars for Lions Club scholarships. The shortcakes are available starting today. The Strawberry Queen introduction will begin at 7 pm. Find more details for the festival here.