Along the Shawangunk Ridge, where for many decades people eked out a hardscrabble existence each summer by picking wild blueberries and huckleberries for sale to the New York City market, berry season is now in full swing. That means that it’s time once again for the streets of Ellenville to fill with locals and visitors alike, all in quest of the purple-stained tongue that’s a badge of being a true blueberry-lover.
The annual Blueberry Festival gets underway on Saturday, August 10, with a Blueberry Pancake Fundraiser for Pioneer Engine Co. 1 at Norbury Hall on Center Street from 7:30 to 11 a.m. The rest of the festival goes on from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout downtown Ellenville, featuring pie sales, live music from the Carl Richards Band, Hudson Valley Youth Jazz Orchestra and Hudson Valley Bluegrass Band all day in Liberty Square, a Homemade Blueberry Muffin Contest at noon, a bounce house for the kids plus more than 175 exhibitors and vendors.
Admission to the Blueberry Festival is free; follow the signs for Festival Parking. Please note that no pets are allowed at this event. To learn more, call (845) 647-4620.
Blueberry Festival, Saturday, Aug. 10, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Free, Pancake Breakfast 7:30-11 a.m., Village of Ellenville, (845) 647-4620, www.ewcoc.com/blueberry-festival.html