A Historically Awesome Event - Blueberry Festival Offers Something for All Ages
By Ben Roberts
The sweetest event of the summer is gearing up to sugarcoat your taste buds! Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites’ (HBMS) 38th Annual Blueberry Festival at Burnside Plantation is a cornerstone of historic Bethlehem’s summer festivities, and we invite everyone to get a taste of how sweet this family-friendly event can be.
If you’re looking for a delicious blueberry treat (Hint: check out the Blueberry Bonanza), or you’re simply curious about the historical significance of this 6.5-acre “farm in the city,” you’ll definitely want to join us July 19-20, 10 AM-6 PM, for a slice of something deliciously different!
The Blueberry Festival offers a wide variety of activities for all ages, bringing history to life with unique demonstrations and tours! For starters, kids will enjoy hands-on craft activities, the petting zoo, pony rides and tours of the Burnside summer kitchen and gardens. There’s also the scavenger hunt where participants can search for items across Burnside Plantation, with everyone who turns in a completed scavenger hunt receiving a prize. In addition, there will be fun, engaging programming throughout both days. Check out the demonstrations of the 18th and 19th century trades like blacksmithing, candle making, tinsmithing, spinning and weaving. Live music also abounds, with performances, courtesy of Godfrey Daniels, such as folk icon Dave Fry, Dr. Doctor and singer-songwriter Andrew Dunn.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Blueberry Festival without tasty treats, and this year there are plenty! Food vendors from across the region will gather at Burnside to offer delicious eats and beverages, with a number of them featuring fresh blueberries. Just one of the many highlights is the brand-new “Blue Cheese,” a grilled cheese baked with farm-fresh blueberries that’s offered by the Taste Budz food truck. Other delicious blueberry goodies include crumb-topped blueberry pie, coffee cake, strudel, sugar cookies, crullers and the new-for-2025 gluten-free blueberry lemon mini-cakes. You can order your favorites in advance and pick up at the Market to Go.
Proceeds from Blueberry Festival support HBMS’s historic preservation work and educational programming for the community, including the development of the new Overlook on History in the Colonial Industrial Quarter.
There’s no better way to immerse yourself in the spirit of the summer than attending the sweetest event of the season – Blueberry Festival at Historic Burnside!
