The sixth annual Hockinson Blueberry Festival brought music, milkshakes and a spotlight to the farms that grow the berries behind the name on Saturday, July 19.
Held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hockinson Community Center, the festival featured fresh berries, handmade goods and live performances from The Vantucky Ramblers, Kirby Swatosh and The Thilo Kloth Trio. But for local growers like Prairie Berry Farm and Majestic Farms Blueberries, the event is also a chance to connect directly with their neighbors.
Polly Chan of Prairie Berry Farm, which first harvested in 2015, said the opportunity to interact with visitors is what makes the event special. The family-run farm is situated on a 10-acre property in Brush Prairie, with approximately four acres dedicated to blueberry cultivation.
“[We] communicate with a lot of different people, and [they] really encourage us,” she said.
Chan said the timing of the festival helps raise awareness of the farm’s u-pick harvest season, which typically begins in early July and lasts up to two months.
Melissa Connelly of Majestic Farms Blueberries also credited the festival with helping drive awareness of her family’s operation.
“Actually it's been a really great opportunity to have the community come see our booth and then be able to point them down to our farm,” Connelly said.
Majestic Farms is a four-generation family farm that has operated under Connelly’s family for eight seasons. The farm offers both U-pick and pre-picked blueberries, along with honey from bees kept on-site.
In addition to the booths and berries, this year’s festival included the return of the blueberry pie baking contest and a pie-eating competition that drew cheers from the crowd. Other offerings included lemonade, pudding rounds and milkshakes made by Hockinson Market.
The festival is organized annually by the volunteer-led Hockinson Main Street Team in partnership with the Hockinson School District. For the farms that fuel it, the event is about more than summer fun; it’s about connection.
“It's a very friendly community and a lot of different agriculture,” Chan said.
