Get ready for a deliciously wonderful time at the 2014 California Strawberry Festival, getting underway at the Strawberry Meadows of College Park in Oxnard (3250 S. Rose Ave.) on May 17 and 18!

For three decades, the Strawberry Festival has been gracing Southern California with a weekend of summer bliss. Now, it is ranked among the top festivals in the entire nation. Here's why...

Strawberry lovers will find themselves in two days of heaven as they discover more than 50 booths serving a plethora of fresh strawberries and strawberry creations, including strawberry tarts, funnel cakes and even strawberry pizza. There will also be strawberry kabobs, strawberry nachos, chocolate-dipped strawberries and strawberry beer.

And for those who enjoy "getting their hands dirty," they will have fun at the "build-your-own" strawberry shortcake tent. There will also be a Tart Toss Contest (where you can throw berries at your best friend!), a Pie Eating Contest and a Strawberry Shortcake Build-Off Contest.

Aside from the tempting food, festival-goers can groove to music throughout the weekend. SkaDaddyZ will deliver reggae and world rhythms beats, Action Down will perform all your favorite classic rock hits, two-time Grammy winners the Mariachi Divas will produce Latin Folk, and the L.A. Allstars of Funk Classic will show you R&B at its funkiest.

Other acts scheduled to perform include Memo & Friends (Latin grooves), Jeanne Tatum and Co. ("Queen of Soul"), Dirty Rice (reggae "fun" pop) and Wanted, who will be performing the music of Bon Jovi.

Adults and children will have a great time exploring the 200 fine arts & crafts booths, the Strawberry Promenade with celebrity cooking demonstrations and the Strawberryland for Kids, featuring rides and attractions, gooey contests, special appearances and more.

The Strawberry Festival has been serving the Southland community since its inception. One hundred percent of proceeds from non-profit food vendors will benefit more than 20 Southland charity organizations. Over the past decades, close to $4 million has been raised for worthy causes since the festival began.

And here's another fun fact: an estimated 1.5 million strawberries will be consumed over the weekend. A weekend at this strawberry festival sounds like a weekend well spent!

The California Strawberry Festival takes place on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at 3250 South Rose Ave. in Oxnard. Tickets are $5 for children, $12 for adults and $8 for seniors. Kids 4 and under get in FREE.

For more information on the festival, click here.