Thousands of people are expected in downtown Wilton Friday and Saturday for the annual Wilton Blueberry Festival, a weekend of food, music and children’s activities.
The 32rd annual event started with a Blueberry Church Bazaar and grew into the two-day festival with 4,000 to 5,000 attendees.
Additional Images
Wilton Blueberry Festival 5K, 10K and one-mile fun run
Racers are encouraged to pre-register before the Wilton Blueberry Festival 5K, 10K and one-mile fun run.
The fun run starts at 6 p.m. and the 5K and 10K start at 6:30 p.m. Friday from the Town Garage on Weld Road. Check in is 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Cushing Elementary School.
Registration forms are available online at WiltonBFF.com. Racers can register online also at RunInARace.com, drop off their forms at the Wilton Town Office or mail in their forms with their registration fee to Run In A Race, P.O. Box 144, Freeport, ME 04032.
For questions call Jennifer Pageot at 778-7437 or Leah Brackett at 778-7138.
“People plan their vacation around the festival,” said Shannon Smith, chairman of the festival committee. “We’ve got a lot of high school reunions happening this weekend.”
Every year Smith said she plans a new event for the festival, and this year will feature large inflatable representations of parts of the human body through which people can walk.
At Kineowatha Park, there will be an inflatable heart, brain, lungs and a 50-foot-long human body that visitors can walk in and see the way organs work.
“People will go through and get health education,” she said. “Health education is an important thing. It’s for all ages.”
The MEGA Body inflatables are being brought in from Houston, and will be set up Thursday morning for the Friday and Saturday festivities.
She said the theme for the 2015 Blueberry Festival is reading and writing and the acts are already booked for the social event.
“I’m all booked for next for year,” she said.
Other highlights of the festival, Smith said, include a free Friday night concert, different races through the weekend and Saturday night fireworks.
The 7:15 p.m. concert at Academy Hill School will feature Re-Creation, a Pennsylvania based musical group that primarily performs for veterans organizations.
Smith said racers should pre-register for the 10K, 5K and one-mile fun run.
Because of the events, on Saturday there will be no parking on Main Street or at the Wilson Lake swimming area from 12 p.m. until after the fireworks. The public boat ramp will close at 9 a.m. Saturday so boaters are advised to plan ahead.
There will be parking locations with a free shuttle service to downtown 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Pick up locations are the corner of Route 156 and Main Street, Key Bank in downtown Wilton, the Park and Ride, Wiles Funeral Home, Kineowatha Park and just for the morning also at Western Maine Expo.
For a full list of events, go to WiltonBFF.com.
Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252
Send questions/comments to the editors.
