NC Blackberry Festival set for July 13 & 14

LENOIR, NC (July 7, 2018)…Grab your fork, put on your “eating pants” and get ready for the North Carolina Blackberry Festival, July 13th and 14th in Lenoir. Featuring the world’s largest blackberry cobbler, The Blackberry Parade complete with the NC Panthers PurrCussion Drumline, blackberry eating contests, live music, vendors, food trucks, Bites, Brews and Blues and more.

The 17^th Annual NC Blackberry Festival begins on Friday at 5:00 pm in downtown Lenoir and will continue through Saturday evening at 9 pm.   Last year, the NC Blackberry Festival brought more than 25,000 people to downtown Lenoir to enjoy lots of blackberry competitions, The Blackberry Pageant, great food, drink, vendors and the great music.  This year, with expanded hours and days we expect even more.  Friday night features a singer-songwriters competition from the 7 finalists competing for a purse.  The NC Blackberry Pageant will also take place starting at 5:30 pm, the Blackberry Recipe Contest and the Blackberry Beer Garden will be complete with beer, wine, cider and blackberry margaritas.  Saturday the festival opens at 9 am.  Great musical acts will be playing throughout the day and the Blackberry eating contest is not to be missed.  At noon, the NC Panthers PurrCussion Drumline will start the Colossal Parade Brigade complete with a master of ceremony, Joe Delk, a local Lenoir attorney.  The parade is complete with New Orleans style life size puppets, locals with instruments, and children, followed by the world’s largest patchwork blackberry cobbler.  The cobbler is assembled in the town center and is given freely to over 300 people until gone.  Saturday evening world renowned Blues artist, Sandra Hall and the King Bees will bring down the festival with a performance not to be missed. 

Over 35 food trucks will be at this event with an additional 230 vendors starting Friday night at 5 pm.  Chick Filet Blackberry Patch will have a designated area for children complete with bouncy houses, face painting, crafts and games.  Let’s not forget the blackberries.  The Farmers Market will be full of NC Blackberries just for the taking along with local NC vegetables and produce. There will be something for everyone, so please join us.

For more information, contact the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce – 828-726-0616 or go to www.ncblackberryfestival.com.

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FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

THURSDAY, JULY 12TH, 2018 – “AN EVENING OF EVERYTHING BLACKBERRY”

• 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm | A ticketed event on Main St. in Lenoir featuring blackberry infused cuisine, drinks, music and dancing.

FRIDAY, JULY 13TH, 2018 – “THE BLACKBERRY JAM”

• 5:00 p.m. – Vendors open for shopping
• 5:00 p.m. – Blackberry Beer Garden open
• 5:00 p.m. – Registration for The Blackberry Pageant begins
• 6:00 p.m. – The Blackberry Pageant
• 7:00 p.m. – Blackberry Recipe Contest
• 7:45 p.m. – The Blackberry Singer-Songwriter Competition
• 8:30 p.m. – The Blackberry GLOW Run

SATURDAY, JULY 14TH, 2018 “NC BLACKBERRY FESTIVAL”

BLACKBERRIES WILL BE FOR SALE IN THE STREET BETWEEN ST. JAMES EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND SUNTRUST BANK STARTING AT 10 AM UNTIL THEY ARE GONE! SEE THE MAP!

VENDORS, FOOD, MUSIC, CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES AND BLACKBERRIES FOR SALE ALL DAY!

• 9:00 a.m. – Vendors open for shopping
• 10:00 a.m. – Beer Garden and Food Trucks
• 10:00 a.m. – Live Music by Rooted
• 11:00 a.m. – Live Music by Melissa Reaves
• 12:00 p.m. – Blackberry Eating Contest
• 12:30 p.m. – Presentation of Colors, The National Anthem, Introductions
• 12:45 p.m. – Colossal Blackberry Cobbler Parade
• 1:00 p.m. – World’s Largest Patchwork of Blackberry Cobbler
• 1:00 p.m. – Live Music by Shelby Rae Moore
• 2:00 p.m. – Live Music by King Bees
• 3:00 p.m. – Live Music by Bob Sinclair and the Big Deals
• 4:00 p.m. – Singer-Songwriter Contestant Winner

BLACKBERRY BITES, BREWS, AND BLUES

• 5:00 p.m. – Vendors, Local Breweries, and Food Trucks
• 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Internationally known Sandra Hall, “Empress of the Blues,” and the King Bees