37th Annual Blueberry Festival

July 14th, 2024 | In The News

Written by Joe Scrizzi for The Valley Ledger

Review by Joe Scrizzi & Photography by Kimberly Kanuck

Last week, I heard that the Blueberry Festival at the Burnside Plantation in Bethlehem PA was set for July 13th & 14th. I went to it last year and I had a great time! I loveeee blueberries!

Friends Kim and Noah joined me today and toured around taking everything in.

First, we came across this beautiful butterfly garden and it was nice to walk through it and check out all the names of the flowers and trees. It’d be great that I wanted these in my backyard!

When at a blueberry festival, you gotta try Blueberry foods, drinks, cheeses & more!
Christmas City Spirits just bottled their Blueberry Bounce 3 weeks ago, just in time for the festival. I spoke to the event person for their table, and they said the Blueberry Bounce is selling greater than the Cherry Bounce. It’s very low alcohol, however, it’s great in a glass of club soda, drizzled over top of ice cream or ladyfingers, pancakes, french toast.

Several bands were playing on two different stages, We heard Lake of Orchards as we sat to rest under one of the tents. Awesome sound!

We heard there was a blueberry pie eating contest, so we went to check it out. First up the kids took the stage. It was fun watching them as they were having a ball!
Then came the adults, there were only 6 people that signed up. Friend Noah dared me to go….What the heck, let’s do this! Haha!
I’ve never done anything like this, I didn’t know what to do other than you cannot use your hands. How does one get the pie out of the pan. Well, there were experts on both sides of me. Das, guy on my right not only got the pie out of the pan, he came in third and he flattened his pan somehow!
Congrats to everybody who participated in the pie eating contest, it was definitely a fun time and I would do it again!

Back in the one corner by a small stream, there was a group of women from the Second Saturday Spinners. I was intrigued by what they were doing so I talked to a few of them. They get the sheered wool from sheep or alpacas or other animals. Sometimes they have to clean it or it already comes cleaned.

It was a very cool system with foot pedals, spindles and spools. There had to be close to 10 ladies, on site doing this. Spinning out the raw material into yarn and onto a spool, which they then either sell or turn into a garment or other. They will be at the Allentown Fairgrounds, very soon for their own event.

If you ever have an opportunity to go to the Blueberry Festival at the Burnside Plantation in 2025, I highly recommend it!

Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites
Burnside Plantation
https://www.historicbethlehem.org/

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