Published August 25. 2026 07:10PM
A stormy Saturday did not dampen the spirit of the annual Blueberry Festival at Burnside Plantation. Festival Organizer Beth Beatty of Historic Bethlehem said, “There were a lot of people on Saturday, and we just tried to keep everyone’s spirits up.” Attendance was much higher Sunday, leading to lines and crowds, but there was still plenty of fun to go around. There was live music on both the upper and lower fields. The lower field also had food trucks and vendors. The petting zoo and pony rides delighted the younger visitors.
The house and summer kitchen were open, as was the large garden. There was a dessert tent, a shop of blueberry wares, and the take home desserts were very popular. The presale blueberry desserts were also a hit. Brave and hungry children and adults participated in the blueberry pie eating contests. Two buses shuttled passengers from the LVHN/Jefferson complex on Eighth Street.
Beth Beatty, festival organizer and Historic Bethlehem Staff, lays out pies and napkins for the pie eating contest.
BB5: Under the watchful eyes of Beth Beatty and Miss Midstate Teen Lydia, the kids dig into their pies. The winner? Logan of Bethlehem, his 3rd win! Logan is seated at the far end of the table.
An equally enthusiastic group of adults entered the pie eating contest.
Customers peruse the offerings in the Blueberry Shoppe, including blueberry jams of many varieties, blueberry coffee, syrup and tea towels and many more items.
BB9:The colorful vendor tents filled the lower field, beneath a backdrop of weeping willows.
PRESS PHOTOS BY LANI GOINSTaylor and her friend Alliah, both in the forensic science program at Cedar Crest, enjoy lemon blueberry cookies from the Back Door Bakeshop.
