Blueberry Festival in South Haven, Michigan
Blueberry Festival
Despite the upheaval of gatherings due to the pandemic, the Blueberry Festival is still a founding part of Michigan's local heritage. South Haven hosts the annual Blueberry Festival in August, though the Blueberry season's beginning starts in the early spring. Blueberries are grown commercially in half as many American states as strawberries, making it feel more like a rare commodity for localized focus; baked goods, contests, pick-your-own patches. Van Buren County is the Nation's most prolific producer of highbush blueberries, and Michigan as a whole produces upward of 100 million pounds each year.
The festival usually provides a fun Michigan experience for nearly 50,000 people, making it a runner-up to the nationally acclaimed Cherry Festival in Traverse City. The Blueberry festival has been taking place for over 50 years, making it reliable for tourists and meaningful to South Haven locals. The local farmers involved in the festival rely on this event to skyrocket their business, and the city itself depends on its economic stimulation both from residents and tourists. Other than the financial benefits that the festival brings, there are also memory captivating moments and family-orientated experiences that are priceless to all who attend.
Memories Made
Despite the reduction in attendance during 2020, the Blueberry Festival is home to an immense amount of Michigan memories. The usual experience includes way too many baked goods, live music, carnival amenities, a parade, and family-focused activities throughout the celebration. For the 2020 season, the festival's capacity was reduced drastically, but there were still so many great memories shared during the experience.
A kids scavenger hunt is a common activity for the festival, and this year was not different in that department. The required masks did nothing to deter the swarm of tots and tikes alike from searching out the hidden items and engaging in one of South Havens more shriek-worthy competition.
There is also a 1K race for kids that even maintained its consistency through the shaky ground of 2020, though it was "virtual"— all the more reason if you ask me! For runners that are slightly more skilled and aren't cheering on their little at the 1K, there is also an annual 5K. Though it was virtual for 2020, the upcoming festival is still up in the air about its formatting.
Blueberry Pageant
There is usually a Youth Pageant Ambassador Program during the South Haven Blueberry Festival. The local Walmart is a primary sponsor, but there are various other local supporters as well. The pageant is a way for South Haven to endorse outgoing behavior from the youth, giving them a place to apply their personalities and intentions on a community level. There is much support from the locals, though many contestants travel to the area to participate in both the pageant and the festival.
Best Fest Club Card
For passionate festival go-ers, the Blueberry Festival of South Haven offers a unique option known as the Best Fest Club Card. This comes with a few bonuses outside of general admission, some of which are quite amusing yet make my mouth water regardless. The Best Fest Club Card comes with a slice of blueberry pie, a festival T-shirt, a mess of blueberry-orientated snacks, $5 off the 5K registration, a branded wine glass, free entrance at the Adult Blueberry Pie Eating Contests, and a free drink at the beverage tent to wash it all down.
The extra funds that are processed from this entrance option are used to further develop better amenities and comforts for the public in the upcoming years. Consider taking the plunge and purchasing the larger package with all the bells and whistles— flavored blueberry whistles, that is.
Michigan Loves Local Growers
There is a decent amount of blueberry farms that supply the produce for the festival and the local community throughout the season. These farms vary in their specialty of growing practices, making each one unique and worth trying individually. Michigan is known for loving local farmers, and the Blueberry Festival and its suppliers are not shy about this at all— in fact, they thrive because of it.
A few of the local farms include, but are not limited to; Organic Pure Blueberries, Brookside Farms, True Blue Farms, Very Blue Farms, Bumbleberry Acres, and DeGrandchamp Farms. Most of these operate with a "You Pick" experience, though it is optional to partake as the festival does a beautiful job showcasing all of their best blueberry products.
If you're considering attending the Blueberry Festival, don't go without the right shades and tones handy for the occasion. Thankfully, Northern Nail Polish is releasing a beautiful light blue hue in the 2021 Spring Collection that the South Haven Blueberry Festival inspires. It is intended to capture this celebration, using almost a pale blue shade of the color to elaborate on the festival's fun nature.
Northern Nail Polish is known for their chip-resistant, non-toxic, vegan-based nail polishes and their locally inspired and sourced apothecary items. This polish is found in their online store or at local shops in the Northern Michigan area and pairs very nicely with a denim look or a soft yellow sweater vibe.
Most of all, though, enjoy the blueberries and the scrumptiousness they bring in the fall that often goes unnoticed without the festival! There is always a reason to give thanks to the locals that work hard to put food on the communitys' tables. Why not celebrate and express your gratitude with an economically stimulating trip to the beautiful city of South Haven during that magical time of the year— Blueberry season— both funding further events and the local small businesses of Northern Michigan.