A berry good time: N.C. Blueberry Festival returns to Burgaw

The N.C. Blueberry Festival is a heritage celebration showcasing the historic, economic and cultural significance of Southeastern North Carolina’s blueberry farms. (Photo courtesy of the N.C. Blueberry Festival)

This weekend, the town of Burgaw will host an expected 40,000 visitors for the N.C. Blueberry Festival. 

Organized by the N.C. Blueberry Festival Association, which was founded 20 years ago this year, the event showcases the historic, economic and cultural significance of blueberry farming in Southeastern North Carolina. Even with the influx of visitors, the festival retains its quaint charm according to Jaliese Blackburn, executive director of the N.C. Blueberry Festival Association.

“The festival definitely still has that small-town feel to it because everything is consolidated right here on the downtown courthouse square,” she said. 

Here are the highlights of the festival’s offerings on Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17: 

Street festival

The street festival, which starts at 2 p.m. Friday and continues all day on Saturday, is free to attend. More than 150 artisans will be set up along downtown Burgaw’s Historic Courthouse Square, displaying homemade and hand-crafted wares that incorporate either blueberries or the color blue. On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., the arts and crafts vendors will be joined by local nonprofit organizations, a car and truck show featuring classic and modern vehicles, and Southeastern North Carolina farmers selling freshly harvested blueberries by the pint or by the flat, which includes two dozen pints. 

“People will come out and buy their annual supply of blueberries and keep them in the freezer all year long,” Blackburn said. 

For those in search of more substantial sustenance on Saturday, the street festival will include more than two dozen food vendors along with local churches and organizations participating in blueberry bake sales. Blackburn listed blueberry pound cake and blueberry coffee cake as the kind of “yummy” homemade treats available from the bake sales. 

“I’m telling you, those church ladies do not play around in the kitchen,” she said.  

On Saturday, the Pender Athletic Club, which raises funds for Pender County’s high school athletic programs, will also be selling pulled pork prepared for Friday’s Whole Hog BBQ Cook-Off, an event sanctioned and judged by the N.C. Pork Council. 

Those in search of blueberries or pulled pork on Friday afternoon can find their fare in the parking lot of the Family Dollar, 200 W. Wilmington St. 

Throughout Friday evening and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 10 p.m., the festival’s main stage will host live music. Like other events set up along the courthouse square, these concerts are free to attend. 

A reprieve from the heat is available at 111 S. Wright St. on Friday afternoon and Saturday. Inside the historic Dee’s Drug Store building, the Pender Arts Council will host an exhibition of the artwork created for each year of the festival in honor of the 20th anniversary of the festival association’s founding in 2003.

The vibrant, abstract work of local artist Ivey Hayes, who donated a painting inspired by blueberry culture for each of the festival’s early gatherings, will feature prominently. Prints of Hayes’ last blueberry painting, unveiled in honor of this year’s festival, along with the contribution of local artist Eden Mills, will be available for purchase at the festival. 

Parking

Street parking in downtown Burgaw will be limited on Saturday, although attendees are welcome to park in open street spots or on the old railroad bed, according to Blackburn. The festival will operate two shuttles on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.: One will depart from the Food Lion parking lot in the Pender Landing Shopping Center (602 U.S. 117 N.), and another will depart from the N.C. Cooperative Extension’s Pender County Center, 801 S. Walker St. Both shuttles will drop off and pick up passengers from the corner of Walker and Fremont streets in downtown Burgaw throughout the day. 

Recipe contest

Dozens of people are expected to participate in the festival’s recipe contest on Friday with original appetizers, entrees, side dishes, baked goods, sauces and more all crafted with at least one cup of local blueberries. Prepared dishes and recipes will be dropped off at the Historic Burgaw Train Depot, 115 S. Dickerson St., on Friday morning, and the public is free to take a peek at this year’s submissions from 9-11 a.m. before the judging commences. Winners in each of the contest’s categories will be announced at Saturday’s opening ceremony at noon. 

Recipes from each year’s contest are compiled into an official cookbook, housed in a binder where a supplement from each festival’s entries can be added. Copies of the cookbook will be available for sale at the festival.  

Farm tours

Guides from N.C. State University will lead tours of the university's Horticulture Crops Research Farm in Castle Hayne, discussing their work to increase the health and nutritional value of local blueberries. Transportation to and from the farm will run every hour between 8:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturday from the Mission Baptist Church parking, 607 S. Walker St. The tour lasts about an hour, Blackburn said, and includes an opportunity to sample some of the different varieties of blueberries discussed by guides. With an extra 30 minutes of travel to and from the tour, the total time commitment is about two hours. These tours cost $5, and payment can be processed at the church parking lot for those who didn’t register online prior to the festival. 

More info: ncblueberryfestival.com.