The Sudbury Blueberry Festival celebrated all things blueberry on Saturday, with food and activities taking over the courtyard of Red Oak Villa for an afternoon of fun.
The festival kicked off July 18 with the annual Hike Up Blueberry Hill, hosted with the Rainbow Routes Association. This guided trek blends nature, storytelling and fresh blueberry treats.
The big day was yesterday though, with all sorts of activities at Red Oak Villa on St. Anne’s Road in downtown Sudbury.
Activities included the Blueberry Bash, featuring live games, music and other entertainment, a farmer’s market and vendors and yummy unlimited blueberry pancakes. The festival would not be complete without a visit from the Sud-berry Bear and Sudbrina Bear, the festival’s mascots.
But the blueberry on the festival sundae was the celebrity pie-eating contest. This year’s contestants were Julia Williams, the promotions director with SWSE, Sudbury.com reporter Jenny Lamothe (back for her third year), Sudbury MPP Jamie West, Sudbury country performer Chad Rivette, Ward 8 Coun. and Deputy Mayor Al Sizer and realtor and cancer fundraiser Terry Ames.
While some of the contestants put up a good fight, including our reporter who made a valiant if ultimately fruitless effort (lol), it was Chad Rivette who easily out-ate the competition and cruised his way to victory.