Visit Us
Walk through history as we guide you to things to learn, places to discover, and events that help connect us to our rich heritage.
PBS 39: Tombler’s Bakery Prepares for Blueberry Fest After Business Closures Due to Coronavirus
July 23rd, 2020 | In The News
Written by Lisa Moy for PBS 39
Williams Twp., Pa. (WLVT) – Just off exit 75 in Williams Township, Pennsylvania you’ll find a small but bustling bakery this time of year. After five and half weeks of being closed due to Coronavirus,Tombler’s Bakery is back to baking. The recipe is simple says Jennifer Farrell, the bakery’s unofficial manager, “No preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup, there’s no junk in it. It’s blueberries, corn starch, sugar, lemon juice, butter. Its very simple.”
It may be a simple blueberry pie but this week there are 500 of them and they’re made with 400 pounds of blueberries. Karen Drake is the owner of Tombler’s and she’s following in her mother’s foot steps, the shop’s founder.
“My mother started the business because she originally started for a group called save our Lehigh Valley Environment that she and another woman organized. They started baking to raise money and take things to the Palmer Mall and sell them to make money to pay for their lawyer go get everything going that they wanted to work on and people wanted things beyond their fundraiser baking and she said ‘well i guess I’ll make it then she realized if she was selling to the public she technically needed a license so she opened a little bakery and she originally called it Turnovers by Tombler which I still have the original paperwork,” says Karen.
These days she says the business is doing well. So well they made 500 pasties each week for six straight weeks after they reopened in May due to the state Coronavirus closures. She says, “When we reopened we worked on an online website at Tomblersbakery.com.”
This week its all about the blueberry pies they’re making for the blueberry festival. Karen says her recipes and business are rooted in love and family tradition.
If you’re interested in tasting her sweet concoctions you can visit the blueberry festival at the Burnside Plantation Saturday and Sunday this weekend and again on July 25 and 26. Pre-orders for goods at the festival can be made at Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites website.
