The Fort Langley Cranberry Festival grows in popularity every year.

Saturday’s 17th annual celebration of the bright red berry continued the trend.

By 10:30 in the morning, nary a parking spot could be found anywhere near the festivities and at lunchtime, visitors packed into the Village, particularly along the section of Glover Road closed to traffic in front of the Fort Langley Community Hall.

The star attraction, of course, were the nearly 7,000 pounds of cranberries for sale. The seasonal fruit was scooped, bagged, and snapped up by consumers at the cranberry sales tent.

Cranberries are a vital part of B.C.’s economy.

According to the provincial ministry of agriculture, the cranberry is B.C.’s largest berry crop – by both volume and value. The province produces about 17 million kilograms of cranberries valued at $25 million. These berries are grown by 50 family farm operations on 1,150 producing hectares.

But there was more to Saturday than cranberries. The annual Fort Langley Canoe Club regatta drew 20 boats filled with paddlers.

Further ashore, the kids zone included a magic show, juggling, a balloon twister, crafts, and face painting while the marketplace had 90 vendors and community displays.

The entertainment stage in front of the hall had an array of talent including “Elvis Elite” Steve Elliott, who drew a crowd as he belted out a few of the “King’s” classics.