THE 2023 Strawberry Festival parade grand marshals have been announced (OC Tribune photo).

Weather you’re ready or not, the 63rd Annual Garden Grove Strawberry Festival is right around the corner, and KTLA meteorologist and former Garden Grove resident Vera Jimenez will be the celebrity grand marshal for the festival parade.

The theme this year is “Celebrating Kindness,” and the theme grand marshal is Tony Adkins, the “Dancing Doctor” who is in the pediatric neurosurgery department at Children’s Hospital of Orange County in Orange.

VERA JIMENEZ

Jimenez was born in Mexico and moved to California when she was 3. Most of her family still lives in Garden Grove. She attended Bolsa Grande High School and Santa Ana College.

TONY ADKINS

“It’s an honor to be part of this year’s Garden Grove Strawberry Festival,’ said Jiminez. “The festival has been such a special part of this community for over 60 years and the positive energy here is unlike anything else.”

Adkins said the event is “more than a festival, it’s an opportunity  to celebrate the good in our community and bring people together.”

According to Andrea Perez, president of the Strawberry Festival Association, the parade is dedicated to Ric Lerma, a prominent Garden Grove resident and business owner who died in February.

“Ric was the perfect example of our theme and we are happy to celebrate and honor his memory during our parade,” said Perez.

The Festival is held over the Memorial Day weekend, May 26-29. The parade will be held on Saturday, May 27, starting at 10 a.m.