Arts and Entertainment at the Berkshire Blueberry and Book Festival

The Twelfth Annual Berkshire Blueberry and Book Festival once again offers something old and something new, with a wide range and a full schedule of local performers in two entertainment venues, plus an art show featuring local artists.

The Berkshire Blueberry and Book Festival will be held on Saturday, July 18, 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, New York, six miles north of Newark Valley and 15 miles north of Owego, via Route 38. If you’re coming from the Triple Cities, take Route 38B west to Route 38. If you’re coming from Ithaca, use Route 79 east to Richford and then 38 south to Berkshire.

New to the entertainment scene will be the Purple Lightning Band, performing at 11 a.m. Because the group will also do marching formations, they will perform in the area in front of the fire station.

The band hails from Candor and is directed by Wendee Buchman Peake. In light of our nation’s 250th anniversary celebration, they promise to offer some patriotic music.  

Returning for her second time is Janelle Daddona, bringing an “acoustic coffeehouse sound” to the Community Hall stage from 1-1:45 p.m. She is a “one-woman” show, accompanying her soulful vocals with a solid percussive rhythm guitar. Her favorite musical practice is putting a new twist on an old song so that it is just barely recognizable, but she also enjoys sharing her original compositions. A woman of many interests, Janelle brings her “eclectic” taste to her performances, covering artists as varied as Gillian Welch and Bob Marley.

In the fire station, the entertainment lineup begins at 10 a.m. with local talent Ed Nizalowski returning to play both his soprano sax and flute—not all at once, of course. The ever-popular Waverly resident Andy Fagan will offer his vocals, accompanied by his guitar, performing old favorites along with his own originals at noon. Candor’s Annie Ol’ Thyme—returning for their third performance at the festival—will follow at 1 p.m. The group will offer traditional and Americana music with guitar, fiddle, and mandolin, sprinkled with banjo.

Entertainment in the Community Hall will also begin at 10 a.m. when Owego’s Melissa Collins returns to serenade us with her harp. Local duo Sister Moon, also returning, will perform folk vocals accompanied by their acoustic guitars at noon. Valley Harmony, a men’s a cappella quartet founded in 2007, representing Berkshire, Newark Valley, and Nichols, will also return to sing all sorts of popular music.  

The art show will also take place in the Community Hall. Local artists will display their work and compete for two prizes: one a people’s choice award and the other juried. Come enjoy the artwork and add your vote for the people’s choice award. People always marvel at the varied and amazing local talent.

The festival provides funding for the Berkshire Free Library, which serves both Berkshire and Richford. Besides the program and its advertisers, the festival is sponsored by the Town of Berkshire, the Town of Richford, Visions Federal Credit Union, NBT, and Matt Kistner of Edward Jones.