MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – There’s something for everyone at the Marquette Blueberry Festival. With over 120 vendors this year, the variety takes a while to fully grasp.
“Everybody wants to come to Marquette and be a part of the blueberry festival,” said Marquette DDA Business Outreach and Promotions Director, Michael Bradford. “A lot of the vendors even make it their own vacation, and just it works out great.”
The day ran nine hours long, featuring non-stop live music at three separate stages. Not to mention, as many blueberry treats as one could imagine. With blueberry cinnamon rolls, blueberry pies, blueberry cookies, blueberry lemonade, and blueberry kombucha, there were more than enough goods to go around.
The Upper Michigan Chapter of the American Culinary Federation have been selling blueberry brats at the festival for nine years now, with a goal each year of staying open through the entire day.
“We made 1,700 brats this year, and we’re hoping to not run out,” said Eric Juchemich, Chairman of the Board for the Upper Michigan Chapter. “Last year, we made 1,500 and we kind of ran out about five o’clock. So each year we’ve been getting a little bit bigger, little bit more. It’s also nice to get our name out there.”
Along with a tough growing season this year, fresh blueberries were less available than other years, but that didn’t stop thousands from showing up.
“In total, we brought up 600 five pound boxes,” said Matthew Zelenka of Berry UP Blueberries. “It’s a little later this year, but the quality of the berries have been really good.”
“It’s just been constant. People were already starting to crowd even before the event officially started,” said Bradford. “The early birds, you know, they’re trying to get the worm before the massive crowds start fighting for the blueberries, and all the other stuff that you see here today, but it’s been packed.”
The weekend just begins with Blueberry Fest. On Saturday, the 65th annual Art on the Rocks will take place in Lower Harbor Park. For more details on upcoming events in the area, visit travelmarquette.com.
