Popular ‘Blueberry Jamboree’ Festival Won’t Be Held This Year

May 17, 2011

Despite being heralded as a huge success and a two-year attendance of about 10,000 people, the Blueberry Jamboree in Barrineau Park will not be held this year.

“It’s very disappointing, but we were just not able to make it happen this year,” said Brandi Daigle, an Escambia County public information officer. Daigle was the major coordinator behind the original Blueberry Jamboree in June 2009 when she worked for the county’s parks and recreation department. She continued to coordinate the festival in 2010 despite her job moving from parks and recreation to the public information office.

“With my new job, we were  just not able to support it this year,” she said. “We talked to the volunteer committee, and they were also unable to support it.”

About 60 vendors took part in each year’s jamboree and most considered it very successful, Daigle said. “We had plenty of vendors who were wanting to come back this year.”

Many of those vendors were small North Escambia area businesses, including many that sold blueberries or other produce products at the Blueberry Jamboree. The event also included the 5K Race for the Blueberries that had about 170 runners and walkers last year, and a Blueberry Bake-Off that had dozens of entries each year.

The Blueberry Jamboree also had several sponsors that supported the event — including the Escambia County Farm Bureau, International Paper, Wind Creek Casino, Navy Federal Credit Union, Winn Dixie and NorthEscambia.com.

“By all accounts, it was a very successful festival,” Daigle said. “We were just not able to make it work this year.”

Pictured above: Scenes from the 2010 Blueberry Jamboree at the Barrineau Park Community Center. Pictured below: Blueberry Dream Pie, a Blueberry Bake-Off winner. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.

blueberry-jamboree63.jpg

Comments

14 Responses to “Popular ‘Blueberry Jamboree’ Festival Won’t Be Held This Year”

  1. nikki on May 19th, 2011 1:34 pm

    William, I NEED the recipe for the Blueberry Dream Pie. Looks delicous!!! Can you possibly help or someone get this??????? Sorry the festival won’t be held this year :( . Maybe again sometime soon.

  2. Terri Sanders on May 18th, 2011 6:03 pm

    man no place to sell my blueberry fudge!

  3. Scott Harrington on May 18th, 2011 3:53 pm

    Just wondering if Brandi Daigle might have her event plans from the past two years. This would be a great guide for volunteers for next year’s event.

  4. Elizabeth on May 17th, 2011 2:37 pm

    @MM
    If you’re interested, Lundy’s Pecan & Blueberry Patch on Highway 89 in Allentown has amazing blueberries. We usually pick gallons and gallons and freeze them to use throughout the year. They have them ready buy or for you to pick. I take my kids to Mr. Lundy’s every year and he tells the kids to come back with full baskets and full tummies. He’s a really nice man.

    The phone number is (850) 623-0652.

  5. Dgh on May 17th, 2011 10:31 am

    Having done festival planning in the past on a volunteer basis I can tell you it is a lot of work and took nearly a year to plan and organize for an event having an attendance of nearly 10,000. If you want this to return, get your volunteers in place and go for it starting now. The event should not cost money if vendors pay a nominal fee and you can get sponsors (the big dollars you’ll need). Start simple and build up to the level and type of festival you want. Entertainment, vendors for food, vendors selling goods/services, vendors representing non-profits, security, amenities, etc. are a few items that take work and coordination to come together.

    I think these festivals are important events that bring communities together, allow local businesses to market themselves, bring attention to important non-profits and just give people something entertaining to do over a weekend.

  6. NHS STUDENT on May 17th, 2011 9:48 am

    This is sad!!! I’d always get a group of friends together and we would run the race then hang out and have a good time!! HOPEFULLY NEXT YEAR IT’LL HAPPEN AGAIN!

  7. curious on May 17th, 2011 9:45 am

    I’m with “JBS”….why wasn’t it announced sooner so maybe something could have been done?

    I don’t understand the whole “couldn’t make it happen” comment. What is meant by they were “unable to support it”. I realize I don’t put together functions as large as these. but I’d like to have a list of what exactly it takes to “support” this type of event.

    Seems to me that as many people who seemed to enjoy it, and vendors who brought their products, there would probably be enough people who could get together and Make this happen.

  8. MM on May 17th, 2011 9:32 am

    I’d still like to buy some fresh blueberries.

  9. Jane on May 17th, 2011 7:53 am

    I am sooo disappointed!

  10. JBS on May 17th, 2011 7:27 am

    Too bad this wasn’t communicated early enough in the year so that others might be able to step up and bring everything together. This was a very positive event for our community and will be greatly missed. William, please share contact information if there is a possibility of bringing this event back for next year. With the number of chilling hours we have had this year, looks like there is a good chance for a higher fruit production. Lots of blueberries on the bushes!

  11. Viven Welch on May 17th, 2011 6:54 am

    This is sad. I would like to invite the blueberry vendors and their customers to bring their goods to the Market at St. Monica’s. It won’t be the same as a festival, but hopefully, it will help out those blueberry farmers.

  12. judy on May 17th, 2011 4:36 am

    that is just sad..if it was so good..somebody should step up..the north ends needs good events

  13. jusme on May 17th, 2011 2:04 am

    What would.it take to make it happen?

  14. joe on May 17th, 2011 12:43 am

    this event will be greatly missed. Last year they had some really good food. sad to see it go…..

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News