COVENTRY – If you like blueberries, you won’t want to miss the Third Annual Coventry Blueberry Festival this Saturday. According to the event’s organizers, the Coventry Community Events Committee, this year’s festival will be even bigger and better than before.
Last year, the committee’s volunteers picked more than 400 quarts of blueberries for the festival, according to Coventry resident Doug Besemer, who has been involved with the event since its inception three years ago. And this year, they’ve been out picking again and the fruits of their labor have been baked into countless pies and other goodies for the one-day festival.
Held at Coventry’s Town Park, located behind the Coventry Town Hall at 1839 State Hwy 235, the family-friendly event will include “lots of things for all ages,” Besemer said.
The festival will kick off at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 18 with a flag raising and invocation at the Town Park. That ceremony will be followed by a Pancake Breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Coventry Fire House. Organizers are asking for a free will donation for the breakfast, with proceeds benefiting the Coventryville Congregational Church.
By 10 a.m., activities at the Park will be in full swing, with a pie eating contest, dunk tank, baking competitions, horseshoe tournament, wheelbarrow race, bounce house, sack races and plenty of games for the kids. Vendors and crafters will also be on hand selling their wares. There will be numerous food and drink options as well, including a chicken barbecue starting at 12:30 p.m., sponsored by the Coventry Museum Association. A Chinese auction will also be held to benefit the Koster family.
Hundreds of people came out to enjoy the “good old fashioned” fun last year, Besemer reported, and they are hoping for an even greater turnout this year. To help the event continue to grow, the committee has added additional activities for both children and adults.
New this year will be the Strong Woman competition, to compliment the annual Strong Man contest. Registration will begin at 11 a.m. for both events, Besemer said. The competition will start at noon, with contestants facing a series of challenges to test their strength and endurance. There is a $20 entry fee for participants, and cash prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place.
This year’s festival will also include a Mud Bog Race, which will take place at 4 p.m. in a “properly prepared” area behind the Fire House, according to Besemer. Entry for this event will be $20 as well, with cash prizes being awarded to the top three finishers. Interested parties may begin registering at 11 a.m. at the Town Park.
Live music will be provided during the festival by Hailey and Shawn, a teenage Harpursville duo which describes themselves as “small town rockers with a big city sound.”