Blueberry’s are in the Air
By Jerri Simmons

The North Carolina Blueberry Festival took place Saturday, in Burgaw. More than 15,000 people came to celebrate blueberries.

There were more than 100 vendors selling everything from Martini glasses to wooden birdhouses. Musical performances radiated around Burgaw’s town hall, antique cars lined the streets and the smell of funnel cakes filled the air, but there was no bigger attraction than blueberries. Festival Goers got to try everything blueberry and some of them like Michael Bell were blueberry fanatics.

“I like them in cereal, on deserts and by the handful,” he said.

Local Resident Bee Moore came to see the blueberries, but she also wanted to have some family fun.

She said her grandchildren had fun, “We did the slippy slide and the jumpoline and the sand art.”

The slide was a hot commodity at the festival; the slide line was almost as long as the line to purchase blueberries. Event Organizer Wayne Batton said there's no surprise the blueberry lines were so long.

"We may be looking at 50,000 dollars of sales today, just in blueberries. The total economic impact to the region even on restaurants 10-15 minutes away benefit from the festival,” he said.

Many blueberry boxes were sold instantly at the festival. This could be because blueberries taste good, but blueberries are also healthful foods. According to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, blueberries are very good for you. They contain antioxidants which protect against cancer and lower the risk of heart disease.

Recently Governor Easley proclaimed the month of June to be blueberry month for North Carolina, and the blueberry festival is one of the ways North Carolina citizens can celebrate.