Almost every Friday for the past six years, Nancy Bannon has stopped by the same strawberry stand north of Oxnard to pick up a half-crate of strawberries.

Being able to go out to a strawberry stand almost year-round is one of the perks of living in Ventura County, where mild weather and good soil provide prime growing conditions.

"These are absolutely the best," said Bannon, an Oak Park resident who is a loyal fan of the Conroy Farms stand.

Large, red and sweet, strawberries rank among the top five most frequently consumed fruits, with 96 percent of consumers surveyed saying they eat strawberries several times a month during peak season, according to a study by the California Strawberry Commission.

"They are magic," said Bonnie Weigel, longtime manager of the California Strawberry Festival.

Today, the tasty berry will be the center of attention at the 25th annual California Strawberry Festival at College Park in Oxnard.

The event, which runs through Sunday, will feature almost every conceivable type of food in which strawberries can be used — including strawberry pizza, strawberry ale, strawberry shortcake, strawberry funnel cake, and chocolate-dipped strawberries. And, of course, there will be fresh strawberries.

There's also something for those interested in fine cooking. A strawberry gazpacho salad will vie against a strawberry tiramisu for the top prize in the Berry Blastoff, which features the confections of local amateur chefs.

And those who like to play with food will be able to don boots and crush berries under their feet a la Lucy at the Strawberry Stomp. There also will be a pie-eating contest and a strawberry tart toss.

"How often can you heave a tart at your mom?" Weigel asked.

All told, some 8,000 pounds of strawberries are expected to be consumed at the festival.

The event drew 66,720 visitors last year, and about 70,000 are expected this year, Weigel said. City officials are urging festival visitors to use the free shuttle service, especially because there is less parking than normal at College Park this year because of construction.

The festival has grown since 5,000 mostly local people attended the first event at Harbor Park in 1984.

"It's gone from a nice homey-homey to a nationally recognized festival," said Daisy Tatum, who has been in charge of volunteers since the beginning.

Today, people come to the festival from all over California and neighboring states, she said.

Former Oxnard Mayor Tsujio Kato came up with the idea for the festival "to honor the strawberry industry, from pickers to growers," said William Belcher, the festival's chief financial officer.

The festival organization began as a committee of the city of Oxnard and became an independent nonprofit in the early 1990s, he said.

A move to College Park in 1990 allowed the festival to more than double its space, from about 7 acres to 15 acres.

In 2001, the festival established the goal of clearing $350,000 in net revenue to provide seed money for the following year. After meeting that goal in 2003, organizers surpassed it in 2004 and 2005, allowing the festival to donate $60,000 each year to community nonprofits.

About five years ago, the festival stopped employing big-name entertainers, deciding to devote the $60,000 to $70,000 in annual savings to more rides for children at Strawberryland and to pay for shuttles.

This year, an exception to the no big-name rule was made "to say thank you to the community on the 25th anniversary of the festival," Belcher said. The E Family featuring Sheila E. and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will be this year's headliners.

Over the years, the festival has raised $3 million for dozens of local schools, church groups and other nonprofits, including scholarships for children of strawberry workers, Weigel said.

In Ventura County, strawberries are an important part of the economy, generating $366.3 million in 2006, according to the most recent available figures. The fruit accounted for 24.3 percent of the county's total agricultural output that year, and it has been the top revenue-producing crop for the past five years.

Strawberries also are an important trade staple. In 2005, California exported 17 million trays of fresh strawberries and 21.9 million pounds of frozen strawberries, about two-thirds of it to Canada.

California's strawberry industry is doing very well, said Carolyn O'Donnell, spokeswoman for the California Strawberry Commission.

"The growers are very innovative," she said. "They face a lot of regulatory challenges but have found a way to meet those challenges and still produce great fruit and get it to market."