Come in your finest shade of Blue and your dancing shoes too! It’s time for the
14th Annual North Carolina Blueberry Festival By Olivia Dawson, NC Blueberry Festival Coordinator
This year’s festival will be held on Saturday, June 17. The festivities commence Friday with live music, blueberries and BBQ. On Friday evening the North Carolina Blueberry Festival is part of WWAY’s “This is the Place,” road trip circuit, as they plan to be here live to kick off this year’s festival. Come join us to be a part of the fun and enjoy entertainment provided by The Fantastic Shakers from 7 to 10 p.m. on the main stage. Local farm fresh blueberries and BBQ sales are available starting at 11 a.m. on Friday, the beginning of our many festival events and activities that launch the festival on Friday. Another Friday favorite to our locals and visitors alike is the Annual Recipe Contest. Participants will bring their cooking and creative skills, which of course has to include blueberries, in a prepared dish to be judged. The event is held at the Burgaw Community House adjacent to the Courthouse Square. This year’s contest is sponsored by the North Carolina Blueberry Festival Association, StarNews Media, Fairway Ford of Burgaw, White Tractor Company, Inc., and King Arthur Flour Company. This year’s participants will have expanded opportunities to win 1st and 2nd place while monetary prizes have also been increased. The Annual Whole Hog BBQ Series Cookoff Event also commences on Friday evening. This event is sponsored by Smithfield’s. It is another favorite annual blueberry festival tradition, featuring both champion cookers and those new to the contest from throughout North Carolina, competing for the title of the 2017 Cook-off Champions. The festival is a symbol and tribute to the area’s blueberry farmers as well as the blueberry production in the southeastern region of our state. The North Carolina Blueberry Festival is organized to advance the general education of and the promotion of blueberries and tourism in our surrounding areas. This year the festival will host more than
150 of the best craft vendors from around our state, many favorite local and festival food vendors, added activities and amusements for the children, the Annual Blueberry Car & Truck Show with judging by the Wilmington Port City Mopar Club, our Annual 5K Run/Walk, Tour de Blueberry bike ride as always provided by the Cape Fear Cyclists group, Model Train Show presented by the Cape Fear Model Train Show Society inside our renovated depot, non-profit organizations, civic groups, and educational displays. Check out the Agri-Pride Simulator that will be used to teach the value of six commodity crops grown in North Carolina, and see first-hand a blueberry picker, all located down by the depot! Be sure to visit the baked goods sales provided by many of our area church groups that provide their delicious blueberry baked goods and jams. Of course the festival’s main attraction is the abundance of fresh local blueberries from our many area farmers. Most importantly, do not leave without your flats of blueberries! Join us Friday night June 16 from 5-10 p.m. and festival day Saturday, June 17 from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. as we celebrate the 14th Annual North Carolina Blueberry Festival! Come enjoy the historic, economic, and cultural significance of blueberries from southeastern North Carolina. As always, the festival’s success comes from all of the committee members, volunteers, visitors, farmers, and sponsors. We appreciate their support in making this festival such a great, fun-filled family event enjoyed by thousands.
FOFF
Presenting the
2016 North Carolina Blueberry Festival Scholarship Winners Resale & Consignment Store
Rylee Elizabeth Berry Sydney Rae Simmons
James Kenan High School
Anna Louise Moore Union High School
Clinton High School
Nolan Wood Likens
Wallace-Rose Hill High School
102 US Hwy. 117 N. Burgaw, NC 28425
Richard Link Baker
Hours: Tuesday – Friday 10 to 4:45 and Saturdays from 10 to 2:45 Topsail High
School
Blueberry Blueber Farmers are part of our a p Touchstone Touch Energy Cooperative. Co
Blueberry Farmers are aCongratulations part of Congratulatio ourto the N.C. Blueberry Festival Touchstone Energy on it’s 14th Year on 10th Cooperative. Anniversary!
Congratulations N.C. Blueberry Festival th Year Anniversary! Platinum Sponsor on 10
Platinu N.C
of the 2017 Platinum Sponsor of2013 the N.C. Blueberry Festival 2013 N.C. Blueberry Festival 1-888-368-7289 www.fourcty.org
Operated by Pender Humane Society
1824 Moore Swamp Rd. Ivanhoe, NC 28447 910.669.2463, phone 910.669.2057, fax swtberry@intrstar.net
Fresh Blueberries Chester S. Barnhill W. Kiah Barnhill
Katie Mathews Photography©
– NC Blueberry Festival
– June 18, 2016
Pender-Topsail Post & Voice, Thursday, June 15, 2017, Page 2C
Presenting the
2017 North Carolina Blueberry Festival Queens
Kayleigh Renee Riker
Lacey Autumn Nicole Patterson
2017 NC Blueberry Festival Miss
Alana Celeste Suggs
2017 NC Blueberry Festival Little Miss
Vayda Paluck
2017 NC Blueberry Festival Mini Miss
Kyla Hurlburt
2017 NC Blueberry Festival Tini Miss
Ellena Manning
2017 NC Blueberry Festival Teen Miss
2017 NC Blueberry Festival Young Miss
London Grace Mehalko
2017 NC Blueberry Festival Junior Miss
Presenting the
2017 North Carolina Blueberry Festival Scholarship Winners Meredith Hope Cottle
Harrells Christian Academy
Marianne Elizabeth Moore
Harrells Christian Academy
Amber Nicole Long
West Bladen High School
Lindy Kathryn Bustabad
Clinton High School
Nicholas Austin Blount Clinton High School
Pender-Topsail Post & Voice, Thursday, June 15, 2017, Page 3C
Schedule of Events 9 a.m. 11 a.m. 11 a.m. – 3p.m. 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
7 a.m. 8 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 9 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 12- 1 p.m. 1-3 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 3-4 p.m. 4:30-6 p.m. 7-10 p.m. 10 p.m.
Friday, June 16th, 2017
Recipe Contest @ The Burgaw Community Building, Judging begins at 1130 am Wholehog BBQ Cookoff Participants Arrive & Setup BBQ Sales & Blueberry Sales located at Family Dollar, along with Blueberry Sales located on the Courthouse Square Festival Kick Off featuring The Fantastic Shakers at the main stage, Gates open at 5 PM Beer, Blueberries, BBQ & Pauls Place Hotdogs will be available
Saturday, June 17th, 2017
Annual 5K Run w/a 1 Mile Walk Tour de Blueberry Ride Check-In Hosted by The Cape Fear Cyclists Tour de Blueberry Ride Begins Festival & Vendors Open, Car & Truck Show, Model Train Show Located inside the Historic Burgaw Depot Welcome 82nd Airborne Chorus Ronald McDonald Opening Ceremony - Sponsor Recognition, Scholarship Awards Recognition, BBQ Cook off Awards, Recipe Contest Awards and Introductions of the 2017 Festival Queens Band of Oz Shag Contest Registration/Check In at the Main Stage Shag Contest Bryan Mayer, Singer/Songwriter from NC and a new voice to country music! Ken Knox & Company Festival Closes
ENTERTAINMENT The Fantastic Shakers
FRIDAY, 7 T O 10 P.M. The Band of Oz
SATURDAY, 1 T O 3 P.M.
Bryan Mayer
SATURDAY, 4:30 - 6 P.M.
Ken Knox & Co.
SATURDAY, 7 - 10 P.M.
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Pender-Topsail Post & Voice, Thursday, June 15, 2017, Page 4C