Thanks to the unseasonably cold weather, strawberries will be arriving fashionably, but still deliciously, late this year.

The same goes for the much-anticipated Strawberry Festival, which kicks off about a week later than usual this month.

But don't worry, because the wait is sure to make both the event and its fruity namesake seem all the sweeter when they arrive.

Dates in and around Saturday, May 14 often signal Parade Day in Adairville, USA, but this year, that's just when things start getting juicy.

Make that sweaty, because the 5K Run gets to a bleary-eyed start at 8 in the morning, with the Fun Run following at 9. For information on this early-bird exercise opportunity, call Amy Williams at 539-3107.

If you're more of a stationary bike person rather than a treadmill enthusiast, perhaps you'd enjoy a game that requires less pavement pounding. If so, there's also a volleyball tournament at 9 a.m. Call Kevin Rayno at 539-4489 for more details.

Saturday also marks the debut of what will undoubtedly become a classic, blindingly shiny occasion in Adairville- the car and tractor show, to be held on the square at noon.

To enter your pride and joy, call Brent Holman at 539-9096, Jim Trimble at 539-6741 or Guy Gunderson at 539-4143, then get to waxing that baby!

With no events scheduled for the next two days, you have time to recuperate from that 5K. Unfortunately, that also means you won't need to call in sick on Monday. Thank goodness that on Tuesday, May 17, the festivities proceed.

Enter your other pride and joy, the one without all the chrome, in the Little Miss Strawberry Festival Pageant, which begins at 6 p.m. Call Debbie Abbott at 539-6461, then... please don't subject your baby to any sort of wax.

Frilly dresses aren't just for the kids, of course. Older girls can sign up for the Senior Miss Pageant, to be held the same evening at 7. Give Valerie Hughes a ring at 726-3005 for the particulars.

Make sure you're in great shape before downing those Strawberry Festival hot dogs. Logan Memorial Hospital is sponsoring a Health Fair May 18 at the Adairville Senior Center from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Then on May 19, Casey's Rides--not to mention Casey's games and airbrushed t-shirts- will get everything in motion by 3:30 p.m. Perhaps this should also be taken care of prior to any hot dog ingestion.

Friday night, it's really starting to look a lot like the Strawberry Festival. Again, the rides begin at 3:30, and at 6 p.m., kids and pets are on parade in as sweet of a combination as strawberries and cream. To find out more, call Debbie Hart at 539-6461 or Connie Perry at 539-7281.

Think you'd easily beat Bo or Carrie on American Idol? Wow even the Simon Cowell-types with a spring sing at the Star Search talent show Friday night at 7. For more information, contact Tracey Armistead at 539-4901.

Finally, it's the big day--Saturday, May 21.

Pancakes are a great way to start any morning, and parade day is no exception. You can get yourself a plateful at Living Word Church from 5:30-9:30. This festival flapjack fest is sponsored by the Adairville cheerleaders.

Really, would any event be complete without a few windows of shopping opportunities? "Crafts in the Park" gets underway at 9 Saturday morning, so get to the square or be... um, late. Elaine Dixon at 539-4247 has more details.

Meanwhile, the rides open again at 10, late enough for those pancakes to have digested.

Not into the carousel? If crawling is more your speed, there's a baby contest at Adairville School, also at 10 a.m. To enter your little shortcakes, call Leslie Jones or Marrinda Hendricks at 539-4247.

For the stars of the parade--which is coming up, so hold your horses and vintage Corvettes- there's a dignitaries reception at noon at Adairville Baptist Church. Melissa Allen at 726-6455 will tell you more.

It may be Saturday, but you can sneak in a little history lesson for extra credit by watching the Jackson-Dickinson duel reenactment on the square at 1 p.m.

And if you didn't know that our former president once happened to kill someone in Adairville, consider yourself enlightened. Call Tracy Gunderson at 539-4043 to learn even more.

Get a good seat or place to stand, preferably behind shorter people, because the parade begins at 2 p.m. Call Gaye Davis at 539-3411 if you want to take part in the procession.

Once the street clears, the action isn't over yet; there will be an auction beginning at 3 p.m. To find out more, phone Delores Stratton at 539-6551, Jason Stratton at 539-4494 or Chad Robertson at 539-4335.

The afternoon will give way to an evening of sweet, sweet music with a gospel singing at 5 p.m. Call Willis Allen at 539-9233, and he'll share his notes on the subject.

Don't let another Strawberry Festival go by without taking the time to shimmy through the middle of town without drawing suspicious glances. The dance on the square begins at 7:30 p.m.

Then... everything's over on Sunday, right? Surprise! This year, the Strawberry Festival sticks around for one more day with an alumni event at Adairville School that afternoon at 1. Teresa Morrison at 539-9903 can explain further.

But it really is back to a world without ring-toss and funnel cakes after that, folks.