Some of the best things about small town America, are the home-town festivals. It’s a way for local townsfolk to get together and celebrate life in their little corner of the world while sharing it with newcomers and visitors. One great festival that people look forward to every year is the annual Machias Wild Blueberry Festival. In this little town, rooms and rental homes book a year in advance because it’s harvest time for blueberries and harvest time is a time to celebrate.
The first Wild Blueberry Festival was hosted by the Centre Street Congregational Church back in 1975, the festival is a plethora of food (blueberries, blueberries, and more blueberries), games, crafts and music. There are even two parades – one specifically for children. Shoppers will be able to find crafters and artisans and flea market finds. There is a cooking contest (blueberry themed, of course) and a pie eating contest (can you guess which flavor?).
The crowning glory of the two day festival is the Blueberry Musical Comedy (different every year) with the town band as the opening act. There is assigned seating and tickets sell quickly – it’s recommended that you purchase them in advance.
So let’s put two and two together here… accommodations for the Wild Blueberry Festival are reserved a year in advance and tickets for the Blueberry Musical Comedy sell out fast. For forty years. That sounds like a successful festival to me.
This year, the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival will be held on August 14-15th.