Organizers ready for next week's Blackberry Festival

News-Topic, Lenoir, N.C.
·3 min read

Jul. 7—LENOIR — The 19th annual N.C. Blackberry Festival will be held rain or shine Friday/Saturday, July 15-16 in downtown Lenoir. More than 20,000 people are expected to attend the festival, which includes 150-plus vendors and exhibits, live music, the state's largest blackberry patchwork cobbler, and of course, lots of farm fresh blackberries and cobblers for tasting and sale.

Admission is free and open to the public. The theme for this year's event is "An Olde Fashioned Summer Festival," designed to bring back the simplicity of the season with a fun celebration of local businesses, local craft artisans and an abundance of great food and music.

The festival begins at 5 p.m. Friday with entertainment on the main stage on the square till 10 p.m. Festival vendors are open till 9 p.m. Friday. Saturday's festival runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Kicking off the festivities Friday is Blackberry Jam, the festival's own version of Blackberry Idol featuring local talent, performing on the main stage at 5 p.m.

At 7 p.m., the 70's Kids, a solid gold tribute band, take the stage as the opening headliner. This high-energy, fun, six-piece band plays all genres from this timeless and unforgettable decade from disco, funk, rock to reggae and yacht rock—all complete with costumes, props and stage performance that will take the audience back to the days of bell-bottoms, vintage hippie looks and flower power.

Friday's activities continue with a Heal and Soul Fun Run through downtown Lenoir (see ncblackberryfestival.com for details and to sign up). The event includes a one-mile fun run that will not be timed, followed by a 5K race event complete with awards for various age groups. Proceeds benefit the Shelter Home of Caldwell County Inc.

The festival opens back up early Saturday at 7 a.m. with the Caldwell County Farmer's Market, which features locally grown vegetables and locally made items.

Saturday's events run till 5 p.m. Featured entertainment and activities include:

8 a.m. Rock Out Work Out — a 45-minutes workout class led by Amy Whisnant, a licensed pound pro instructor.

8 a.m. Registration/9 a.m. Competition for the NC Blackberry Festival Pageant — An official preliminary to the Little Miss and Teen Miss N.C. State Pageant, registration opens at 8 with the pageant following at 9 am on the main stage at Main Street and West Avenue.

9 a.m. — 5 p.m. Blood Drive—held at 806 College Ave., SW, all donors receive a $20 e-Gift card.

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Cool Zone—UNC Health Caldwell presents a Cool Zone in the SunTrust Bank parking lot complete with free temporary tattoos, free ice pops for kids, free misting/cooling tent and free activities for kids.

11:30 a.m. The Fantastic Blackberry Eating Contest — three age groups available. Sign up at the information booth the day of the festival. Slots are limited.

12 p.m. Official Festival Opening Ceremony — Prayer, National Anthem and Declaration from City of Lenoir Mayor Joseph Gibbons.

12:15 p.m. Colossal Cobbler Brigade — a fun parade and celebratory presentation of the 2022 Blackberry Cobbler Patchwork.

Main Stage Entertainment 12:30- 5 p.m.

12:30-1:45 p.m. Strictly Clean and Decent — an area and local favorite, this acoustic trio features Patrick Crouch, Ron Shuffler and Kay Crouch.

2:15-3:30 p.m. Deacon Black — an area classic '80s band that plays rock, country, and dance music from the era.

3:45-5 p.m. New Primitive Bluegrass — a group musicians who connect the music of the past and the sounds of the future in the bluegrass genre.

The NC Blackberry Festival is a Caldwell Chamber of Commerce event. Various community businesses, volunteers and local nonprofits partner together to sponsor and conduct the festival, which is an officially sanctioned state of North Carolina Event.

For more information about the festival including local lodging accommodations, visit www.ncblackberryfestival.com.