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How to Navigate Blueberry Festival
July 9th, 2015 |
By Morgan Harris, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites Marketing Coordinator
Are you fully prepared for all of the awesomeness that you’re sure to experience at the 29th annual Blueberry Festival at Burnside Plantation on July 18 & 19? Maybe, maybe not. Here’s my short blog written to help you find your way to all of the blueberry greatness that awaits!
First of all, I would start off Saturday by grabbing a scavenger hunt paper at the admissions tent before I even began to head down the hill. What’s my reasoning? A scavenger hunt is sure to entertain the young and the older blueberry goers because let’s face it…who doesn’t like running around looking for hidden items? It’s an adventure! DOWNLOAD Scavenger Hunt Map.
Next, go down the steps, follow the path and head to the lower meadow area to enter the children’s activity tent where there will be endless amounts of crafts, a petting zoo, demonstrations and more! Crafts include tin punch ornaments, wampums, decorating a planting pot, woven blueberry baskets, St. Brigid’s crosses, and cotton ball sheep.
When your child…I mean… or husband are ready for the grooving live entertainment you can find music on the stage in the lower Meadow or up in the West Field near the Blueberry Brewery. On the way to the West Stage you can make a stop at the Corn Crib where you can get all of your favorite Blueberry merchandise. At the West Field Stage, shake it and move to tunes by She Said Sunday, Craig Thatcher & Nike Van Wyk, and This Way to the Egress and more!
I’m sure that after all that dancing you’re going to be thirsty for some beer, wine or mead. Next to the West Field stage is the Blueberry Brewery where you can partake in our popular beer, wine and mead tasting or you can just purchase a full size drink.
What happens if you’re hungry for some blueberry pie after you break it down at the live entertainment tent? No worries, visit the food tent next to the Meadow Stage where you can eat until you’re blueberry loving desires are met. We’ll be selling a bunch of blueberry snacks including blueberry pie, blueberry ice-cream, blueberry strudel and more. Don’t forget to pre-order your Tombler’s blueberry pie for pick-up at the Blueberry Festival! We would hate to run out of all the yummy greatness before you had a chance to get to the tent.
Why not enter the blueberry pie-eating contest while you’re at it? The pie-eating contest is an old-time favorite and will take place on both Saturday and Sunday at 2:15 on the Meadow Stage which is on the lower level plantation behind the Haas Barn. Sign up for the contest at the Information Tent!
Looking for more? There will also be Historic Tours of our barns, houses, and a summer kitchen demonstration throughout the plantation. (Hint: look for the guides in the beautiful Moravian costumes.
Mounted Horse patrol demonstrations will also surely catch you eye on both Saturday and Sunday at 1 and 3:30 PM. You can catch this demonstration in the paddock behind the Johnston Barn across from the Corn Crib Merchandise tent.
I know there’s a bunch of other awesome blueberry entertainment, children’s activities, cooking contests, crafters and demonstrators, and volunteer opportunities available at the Blueberry Festival but hey, let’s face it…you can always look up that other great stuff on our website by clicking the Blueberry Festival feature at the bottom of our page. Visit HistoricBethlehem.org for more information or ask me for more information about the events when you see me at the festival. (Yup, I’m the girl with the camera again.)
See you soon!
