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Cold, rainy weather and an intricate permit process haven't stopped the Colesville Strawberry Festival in 26 years.

A lack of leadership almost did.

Struggling to find a chairperson for the Colesville Strawberry Festival Committee, some members wanted to throw in the towel this year. But some didn't, including festival chairman John G. Maloy, who assumed the position a few months ago.

"A couple people said we didn't want to have it," said Rosina Mason, a festival volunteer for 25 years. "He came into the meeting and said, ‘What do you mean you're not going to have it?'"

Shortly after, Maloy took over. He oversees all aspects of the festival, which include bulk strawberry sales, kid's games, an auction, plant sales and a craft fair. Proceeds from the festival go to C-4, an organization of community congregations in Colesville.

"I've been kind of stepping outside the box," said Maloy, who said this year's festivities will include a moon bounce for younger and older children.

Maloy, a Colesville resident for 10 years, said he's worked to acquire five permits from the county to have the festival, including one that required him to take a class. "There really was a possibility of not getting the permits," said Maloy, who said Thursday he was wrapping up the final permit.

The festival, which will take place Saturday at the Old Colesville School in Silver Spring, was created by Ned Bayley and Ed Bender. In the beginning, ice cream for the event came from the University of Maryland, College Park agriculture school. Now, it comes from Chambersburg, Pa.-based Trickling Farms and is kept at Heyser Farms in Silver Spring until it's ready for the festival.

Bayley, who is in his 90s, wrote "Colesville," a book about the history of the area. The book will be displayed at the festival.

National Honor Society students from Springbrook High School in Silver Spring help with preparations for the annual event and earn student service learning credits. Irish dancers, martial artists and the White Oak Middle School band are scheduled to perform.

Chuck Crisostomo, assistant director of the Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center, said the strawberry festival creates a sense of community closeness and is a "tremendous help" to C-4, a nonprofit that provides emergency services. The center works with the festival committee to advertise the event.

"It may be the only time that some people in the community actually see other," said Crisostomo, who said the festival is only rivaled in east county by Burtonsville Day in September. "You don't mind paying them [for strawberries] because you know it's going to a great cause."

Crisostomo said he would like to see a permanent festival like Colesville's take place in White Oak. A police-sponsored festival at Enclave Apartments along Route 29 was held last year but may not happen this year, he said.

Mason said the Colesville festival's roots as a "community party" remain. Last year's festival drew between 1,500 and 2,000 people, she said.

"I'm delighted the festival is going on," said Mason, a former chairwoman of the festival. "[It's] a little pride in our community."

The Colesville Strawberry Festival will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Old Colesville School at the corner of Hobbs Drive and New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring. The event will include food, drinks, business exhibits, vehicles from the Hillandale Volunteer Fire and Rescue station, entertainment from local groups and, of course, strawberries in a variety of forms.