To call it a "Blueberry Festival" is really a stretch
 

Went to this today in Brownwood. I would be surprised if more than 2% of the vendors were selling anything even remotely blueberry related. It was basically the regular farmers market with extra vendors. Some booths were selling insurance, burial plots, lawn care services.

Very disappointed. They might as well have a pineapple festival next month to draw crowds and add two booths selling pineapple daiquiris.

They could do a fruit of the month.

Have you lived here long ? If not, you might enjoy some of the area's more "robust" should we say, LOL, blueberry festivals. There are several worth attending that are not a long drive at all, and we've always been able to buy wonderful locally grown berries at the same price we pay to pick them ourselves. Brooksville festival is next weekend, don't know for sure, but I've never noticed an abundance of pineapple there...been going for years. Also do a search, there are several new ones (if you are new to the area).

Just another reason to have a festival, it’s not about the fruit or whatever else is supposed to actually be being celebrated. I was excited with anticipation for the big annual St. Patrick’s day festival so I could get some corned beef and cabbage and a Guinness, neither were available. Maybe it’s just me, but that’s what I associate St. Patrick’s with, not stilt walkers and baton twirlers?

Have been to one blueberry festival and a couple strawberry festivals and yes you should be able to buy the fruit. The blueberry festival I went to had a number of people selling blueberries, even if they were all from Chile. Also it is nice if you can get a blueberry shortcake and the like. Sorry to hear it wasn’t what it should have been.

You came
You saw
You spent
SUCCESS

I wish I could find a decent you pick fruit farm. Went to Blue Bayou blueberry farm last week. The young girl gave us two buckets for picking and told us the direction to pick and to watch out for the fire ants. We walked out there and found nada, zilch and the patch looked sad. This has happened to us twice before in other you pick farms. I thought that Florida would be the best place for fresh clean fruit.

We always pick at Back Road Berries in Oxford. They start the year with strawberries. They are now into blueberries. Soon they will start blackberry season. You can get on their email list so you'll know what is available. You can pick your own and (sometimes) they have already picked for sale. Give them a try!

Were the cheerleaders there? No self-respecting "festival" in The Villages would be complete without them.

I am in for the pineapple daiquiris.

Thanks for info! Appreciate it!

This is why I don't go.

There were plenty of blueberries for everyone to purchase.

How much more than "plenty of blueberries for everyone to purchase" is needed??

:mornincoffee:

well along with the corn beef , cabbage and Guinness, I used to look forward to a few good fights in some South Boston Irish bar on that day

False Advertising - sue em. Sue em all

You from Southie?

Can’t wait for the Kumquat festival.

we went, & enjoyed our time. there were a few fruit selections, but i really had to sort through because some of it wasn't very 'fresh.' we enjoyed the other activities, had lunch & listened to a bit of the band. fruit or not, it was a good way to spend the afternoon

make sure you go to the 1 near dade-city, the whole town gets involved!

St. Pat's in Boston was ALWAYS a blast. A rite of passage for all college frat boys. The consequences of the drunken revelry along Beacon Street by Mass Ave (where the B.U. and MIT frat houses were located) lasted days. Some frats also have a fun ritual of doing pushups at certain smoots markings on the Mass Ave bridge, on St. Pat's Day.

no born in the South End , which now is very gentrified, then to the West End until they tore down all the tenements and put up luxury building ,then moved on up to the projects in Charlestown and now on the waterfront, life is good, and plan on having my ashes spread over Revere Beach where I’ve had so much fun as a kid and as an adult sitting on the wall watching everyone go by , ( Revere Beach , the first public beach n America )

Kinda like the recent "Golf Festivals"?

As a native, I can tell you there ARE great years. This is a tough one for all types of berries. You can try of the others, but I repeat, it's a tough, dry, year and the area you were directed to was obviously well picked already. Don't give up, we have some great years...sometimes:shrug:

My daughter-in-law is from revere beach. Her parents still live there.

Whispering Oaks winery great blueberry picking.

Someone went
 

As Yogi said “ Nobody goes there anymore, It’s too crowed”!
It was packed and steamy hot.
Somebody went, parking was difficult.

Blueberry Festival
 

I agree. It was more of an arts and crafts fair with a couple of blueberry vendors. No cheerleaders but a few clowns. The only thing I bought was a chocolate croissant from Morikas bakery, which I can do any Saturday in Brownwood. But it was fine.

The festival was a good reason to get out of the house and go on a nice walk. Us Villages dwellers will go play golf on the same course each week and we find it fun and exciting. Same with the festivals, they each are given a different name and the drink booth can make us a fruity drink to memorialize our attendance. Each day the only thing completely different is that we are a day older.

As a proud member of The Village Twirlers and Drum Corp, we are honored to be chosen to perform on the squares for The Village festivals. We love being part of the festivities and performing for the crowds

4/29 & 4/30 at Donnelly Park in Mt. Dora. Blueberry pancake breakfast 0900-1100.

Mt Dora has a blueberry festival
 

Mt. Dora Blueberry Festival April 29-30:

Mount Dora Major Events and Festivals - Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce, FL

If you haven't been, Mt. Dora is a waterfront town to the east of The Villages with lots of boutiques and restaurants.

The one comment I'd make about all Villages festivals and craft shows is for the organizers to get some new vendors. Each event is the same golf cart accessory, leather belt, scarf, Celtic goods vendors....it may be expensive for a vendor to setup, etc...how about some more true art vendors?

Love you guys (and gals)!

Would you please have them send down some clams and roast beef sandwiches from Kelly’s? The best!

This is how a fruit festival should be!

Attachment 98051

Click on Pic to enlarge.

Lol, you’re right on. It’s the same vendors as always. People complain about no parking or it being too crowded. They have women in tacky dresses spinning and doing some kind of silly dance.

They really need a good event planning team because you’re right. It’s like they switch the name from strawberry to blueberry and have the same old stuff. :(

[QUOTE=FromDC;2210021]We always pick at Back Road Berries in Oxford. They start the year with strawberries. They are now into blueberries. Soon they will start blackberry season. You can get on their email list so you'll know what is available. You can pick your own and (sometimes) they have already picked for sale. Give them a try![/QUOTE

Thanks for the tip!!

GPS and GOF
 

When I turned 60 about 10 years ago my son said that now I was eligible to be a "GPS", ie: "Grumpy Person over Sixty".

After reading the complainers remarks on here I will put forth another acronym: "GOF".
Standing for Grumpy Old ####,

Some people wake up every morning just looking for something to complain about. What a sad way to live....

Just to be clear for all my Revere friends who get very uptight , there are different sections of Revere and there very tribal , her parents when asked where there from would say they are from Revere ,but if they live on Revere Beach they could say that they live on Revere Beach lol

The Blueberry Festival was a fun event. We are lucky to have a variety of entertainment options year round. Looking forward to Cinco de Mayo.