Deerfield Valley Blueberry Festival
3rd Annual Blueberry Festival
Date: Fri, July 30tht 2010 - Sun, August 8th 2010
Berries, vintage cars, music, food and tarp displays; if it’s blue, it’s probably happening in the Mount Snow area towns of Wilmington, Whitingham and Dover in early August.
The 2010 Deerfield Valley Blueberry Festival, named a Vermont Top 10 Summer Event for 2009, is the culmination of a community effort coordinated by Janet Boyd from Boyd Family Farm in Wilmington in which dozens of businesses, organizations and individuals have created blueberry or blue themed events happening ten days consecutive days at the end of July into August.
“It’s fun, it’s silly, and something everyone can take part in,” Boyd said of the event which she hopes will become an annual community event. Visitors to the Valley will find children’s activities, jam making, blueberry themed specials in the local eateries, blue music events, a blue car auto show, blueberry bake sales, blue beer, special “Blues fees” at Mount Snow’s Golf Course as well as pick your own blueberry opportunities.
In 2009 we've added a Blueberry Parade on Saturday August 8th in Dover with the help of a grant from the Dover Economic Development fund.
Don’t miss Boyd Farm's “Fields of Blue” public art display. Inspired by Christo and Jean-Claude’s Central Park orange canvas display “The Gates”; Vermont farmers Janet and Buck Boyd’s display of blue tarps in their fields will have you chuckling.
Blueberry Quest - Gateway to a blue experience! Pick up a "Passport to Blue Adventures" at the Chamber. Establishments hosting A Blue Event or Activity will be asked to sign or stamp the individual's Passport that participated or visited ... and the person with the most events attended will get a prize
Vermont Blueberry Festival receives grant funding for parade
DOVER – Organizers of the 2nd Annual Deerfield Valley Blueberry Festival have received grant funding from the Town of Dover Economic Development Fund for the creation of a Blue Parade to be held in Dover on Saturday August 8th 2009. The parade, which takes place on the closing weekend of the 10 day festival, will feature blue themed floats, music and entertainment.
The festival is the brainchild of Boyd Farm proprietor Janet Boyd and is managed in partnership with the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce. Featuring 10 days of blueberry and blue themed activities in dozens of locations, 2008’s well attended event earned it a spot on the Vermont State Chamber of Commerce’s 2009 Top 10 Vermont Summer Events.
Individual venue events for the festival are already being compiled, but volunteers are needed for developing parade float criteria, routes, entertainment and logistics. A parade planning meeting is planned for 9 am on Wednesday April 1st at the Chamber offices in Wilmington. All are welcome! For more information on getting involved contact Laura or Megan at the chamber offices 464-8092.
No. R-448. House concurrent resolution designating the Deerfield Valley
as the Blueberry Capital of Vermont.
(H.C.R.332)
Offered by: Representatives Manwaring of Wilmington and Moran of Wardsboro
Offered by: Senators Hartwell, Sears, Shumlin and White
Whereas, farm communities across America have been looking for new agritourism ventures with substance and long-range benefits, and Whereas, blueberries have long been touted as one of the highest antioxidant fruits available, and Whereas, blueberry picking has long provided a healthy family activity that is fun for all ages and promotes good eating habits, and Whereas, the Deerfield Valley Blueberry Festival was the brainchild of Janet Boyd and the Boyd Family Farm in Wilmington who promoted the festival to businesses, schools, and town governments, encouraging their participation with the slogan “It’s fun, it’s silly, and something everyone can take part in,” which she repeated to group after group, and Whereas, beginning in 2008, the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce has sponsored the annual Deerfield Valley Blueberry Festival over nine days from late July to early August, primarily in the towns of Wilmington, Whitingham, and Dover, in order to promote the cultivation of blueberries in the Deerfield Valley through participation in blueberry-inspired activities, and Whereas, for two years in a row, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce has recognized the Deerfield Valley Blueberry Festival as one of the top 10 events in the state, symbolizing the successful efforts of Deerfield Valley residents to show that one festival can make a difference and improve the local economy, and Whereas, the Deerfield Valley Blueberry Festival promotes the purchase and eating of locally grown healthy foods that are free of pesticides, and Whereas, the Deerfield Valley Blueberry Festival also encourages local participation in the state’s farm-to-school program, which is the most effective tool to reduce Vermonters’ consumption of trans fats, empty calories, and packaged foods, and to win the war on childhood obesity, now therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
That the General Assembly designates the Deerfield Valley as the Blueberry Capital of Vermont and extends best wishes for the success of the 2010 Deerfield Valley Blueberry Festival, and be it further Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this
resolution to the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce in Wilmington.
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