History

This year celebrates the 86th anniversary of the festival. Dating back to the days following World War I, Ligonier’s festivals and holidays were observed as a time for parades, fireworks, carnivals, hot-air balloons, family gathers and great celebration of local history.

As servicemen returned to Ligonier at the close of World War II, the need for celebration and recollection of Ligonier’s history was revived in the form of an annual Labor Day festival which drew together the workers from factory, farm and stores. This annual festival was given the name Strawberry Valley Days, reflective of the days past when early settlers found bountiful patches of strawberries growing along the Elkhart River. Attracted by the beauty of the river and the succulent berries, pioneers established a small settlement which would later grow into Ligonier as we now know it.

In 1992, the name of the festival was changed to the Ligonier Marshmallow Festival so that our community could take pride in one of the major products produced in Noble County.