Blackberry a favourite fest for 29+ years

HOW TO LOBBY CITY COUNCIL: In June 1985, Blackberry committee rep Lisa Kemper hoped to garner support for the first-time festival by offering blackberry tarts to the aldermen... while barefoot and dressed as a giant blackberry. Today’s lobbyists please note: it worked. (Photo originally published in the Powell River News: courtesy of Glacier Media.)

BY KAYLA REED, WITH FILES FROM ANN NELSON

The first Blackberry festival was a week long event, running from August 19 to 24, 1985. The festival was established as a function for Expo 86, and remained popular as a community event in the years to follow.

The idea for such an event had been floating around the community since the year prior, but was made concrete when a small committee led by Ken Kemper proposed the idea to municipal council in January of 1985.

Ken stated that fruit produced by the spiky vines should be celebrated rather than maligned, and the abundance of blackberries in the region would allow for countless berry-themed food and beverage options. In its first year, Blackberry Festival included events such as a wine and beverage competition, Blackberry Olympics, a pie eating contest, pancake breakfast, and a potluck party at Willingdon Beach.

For two summers the festival entertained the community, but by December of 1986, the Blackberry Festival was no more. An apparent lack of sponsors and volunteer organizers led the Blackberry Society to disband, and the $400 in their bank account was donated to the United Way.

In 1987, 1988 and 1989, the Open Air Market dedicated on Saturday to the blackberry theme, however it didn’t quite fill the shoes of the fun-filled week of festivities.

The beloved Festival was revived and expanded in 1991 with funding by the Province through the Festival of Events office under the leadership of Deb Jenkins and Shelley Halliday. Again, there were a few scattered events, with a dwindling into dormancy when the Festival office was closed.

There was a Blackberry Festival of a few events like the Pub ‘o War, wine and mixed drinks contests, hospitality Olympics, etc, in 1992. However the Blackberry machine started up its engine once again for the summer of 1993 with the adoption of the week long Festival by the Marine Area Business Association. Coordinator Shelley Halliday created the first ever Street Party.

All the favourite events were revived and new ones created so that every day in the week long Festival had a highlight: chariot races, concerts, Open Air Market blackberry day, Arts Alive in the Park, and more, and the Street Party was jam packed with street events, displays, demonstrations, and of course, food, with a fireworks finale!