Berkshire’s Blueberry and Book Festival planned for Saturday

The fourth Annual Berkshire Blueberry and Book Festival will be held Saturday, July 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in and around the Berkshire Free Library, Community Hall and Fire Station, all at the corner of Route 38 and Jewett Hill Road in Berkshire, N.Y. 

Once again this year the Berkshire Blueberry and Book Festival will feature a variety of local performers in two entertainment venues, along with an art show featuring local artists.

Entertainment will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the fire station with Ed Nizalowski playing both his soprano sax and his flute. The Robert Beck Band, a local band playing classic rock starting at 12:30 p.m., will follow him. 

At 1:30 p.m., Farrah Fiacco, a local soprano who also doubles as Miss Blueberry, will perform. The fire station will wrap up with Andy Fagan from Waverly, with his guitar and vocals. Fagan will perform several originals.  

Entertainment on the Community Hall stage will begin at 11 a.m. with Melissa Collins of Owego on her harp. Rhonda Moulton, of Berkshire, will begin at noon to provide festivalgoers with delightful piano music followed by Valley Harmony at 1 p.m. Valley Harmony sings a cappella music of all kinds.  

The music in the Community Hall will then wrap up with Thee Kinfolk, a local Indie rock band.

For car lovers, a Classic Car and Truck Show will fill the fire station field while in the Community Hall, 14 local artists will display their works. Watch the Catatonk Woodcarvers demonstrate their intricate skills. 

Bob Connelly will give a talk on watches and clocks at 1 p.m. in the library and appraise your antiques and collectibles for a donation of $5 to the library; and over two dozen vendors will have an array of handmade textile, wood and other crafts, collectibles, and a variety of specialty merchandise. 

The Berkshire Congregational Church is again sponsoring a Bake-Off to benefit the Helping Hands Food Pantry.

Kids can rock at the “Kid’s Tent” with face painting by Jenn Willard, games by the Girls Scouts from Richford, a scavenger hunt with Fran Miller in the library, “I Spy” in the library’s 2nd floor History Museum, free kids books for all ages, and maybe a few surprises. 

Children’s author Daniel Jude Miller will explore with his audience how to imagine and create a book and its many facets of story and art. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Game Truck of Central NY will be set up in front of the Fire Station for all ages to test their skills.

This year the festival welcomes mystery author and retired Owego librarian, Karen Bernardo; co-publisher of the Moonlighter, Eileen Morock; environmental educator and leading expert in animal tracking, Linda Spielman; writer of horror fiction, Pamela Morris; eco-fiction author, Jaimee Wriston Colbert; and children’s author, Daniel Jude Miller.

Although the paperback book sale will not be offered this year, many of the 50 raffle baskets contain good reads including Foxey Brown: A Story of an Adirondack Outlaw; Hermit and Guide as He Might Have Told It; Jacob’s Land: Revolutionary War Soldiers, Schemers, Scoundrels and the Settling of New York’s Frontier by Richford native Charles Yaple; and a stunning book, 150 Verne Morton Photographs of late 1800’s Groton, Dryden and Freeville. 

Also included in the raffle baskets are family memberships or admissions to the Corning Museum of Glass, Sciencenter in Ithaca, Museum of the Earth and Cayuga Nature Center, and the Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park.

No festival would be complete without good food. Start with blueberry pancakes with Berkshire maple syrup donated by SweeTrees Maple products and served with juice, coffee or tea, from 7 to 10 a.m.; but save room for the Fire Department’s Chicken BBQ at noon. Hamburgers, hotdogs, and other favorites, as well as cotton candy and sno-cones, will be available on the library lawn. Of course, take home some delicious baked goods and local blueberries.

The art show will also take place in the Community Hall. Eighteen local artists will display their work and compete for two $50 prizes – one a people’s choice award and the other juried.  

Also of special note at this year’s festival is the expanded antique car and truck show. For the past several months, antique car owners have been enticed to participate in this show with three people’s choice trophies that will be awarded at 3:30 p.m. that day. Look for the cars and truck right behind the Fire Station.  

This event provides funding for the Berkshire Free Library, which serves both Berkshire and Richford. Besides the program advertisers, the Town of Berkshire and Visions Federal Credit Union sponsor the festival.

Of course, take home some delicious baked goods and local blueberries.

Many members of the Northern Tioga area community have come together to present the festival each year. The festival takes place at the Berkshire Fire Station, Library, and Community Hall located on Route 38 in Berkshire. 

For more information, visit www.berkshirefreelibrary.org.