Wild Blueberry Festival returns to Paradise this weekend
PARADISE — There's no better place to relax and pick wild blueberries than Paradise this weekend, as the town celebrates the 38th annual Wild Blueberry Festival.
Paradise is well known by locals and visitors for its extensive wild blueberry population.
The blueberry craze of Paradise began in the 1800s, when logging was a much more prominent industry in the U.P. While the area in and around Paradise was heavily logged during this time, it left large swathes of land with sandy and acidic soil. This turned out to be the perfect condition for growing blueberry bushes.
In the 1920s, local industry began to support and grow the wild blueberry population, as blueberry picking became a reliable job for laborers.
Within a few years, the industry had grown by a large amount and became an economic driver for the community as Paradise blueberries were shipped across the state.
To celebrate the blueberry and its local impact, Paradise started the Wild Blueberry Festival in 1985.
The annual celebration includes a mix of music, nature and local lore. Attendees can learn about the local history of the area and why it is called the Blueberry Capital of Michigan.
Throughout the weekend there will be live music, entertainers, and booths with craft items. Many vendors sell blueberry-themed products, including foods like syrup and jelly. Hundreds of pies have been baked by local volunteers. Proceeds from all items sold will go to support the Whitefish Township Community School.
“Everyone comes together from the community to help make the pies. We have volunteers who have been doing this for years, it really helps,” said Katelin Corcoran, organizer for the festival. “This year we made over 480 pies.”
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This year is the introduction of some new attractions, including a talent show which anyone can participate in.
Attendees will also have the chance to pick wild blueberries themselves, as the festival takes place near a wooded area where wild blueberry plants are prominent. Wild blueberries will also be sold pre-picked.
“You can just be driving along the road on any of these rural country roads around here and see plenty of good spots to pick blueberries,” said Corcoran. “But if you don’t want to do the work you can always go straight to one of the blueberry vendors at the festival.”
The festival begins on Aug. 18 in Paradise and continues for three days, ending on Sunday.
A complete schedule of events and updates can be found on the Wild Blueberry Festival's website.
— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Wild Blueberry Festival returns to Paradise this weekend
