Join us on June 29th from 9 AM – 5 PM for our GRAND OPENING! Bring your friends and family, and show your support to the Wild Blueberry Heritage Center. Be ready to learn all about the history of wild blueberries, the harvesting process, nutrition, and much more. Many fun, interesting exhibits have been put together to showcase the significance and impact of the Maine wild blueberry. You’ll have the opportunity to purchase a tasty wild blueberry pie, scone, or muffin, as well as browse our gift shop section full of treats, toys, and goodies.
Blueberry Hill Field Day
The 2023 Blueberry Hill Farm Field Day is this Thursday June 22nd from 9AM – 3PM at Blueberry Hill Farm in Jonesboro. This annual event invites farmers and workers from the wild blueberry industry to gather to learn, network, and celebrate achievements within the Maine wild blueberry industry. Donations are accepted, lunch will be served, and speakers will touch on topics including disease and crop management and the latest from UMaine’s WBB research.
Board members from the Wild Blueberry Heritage Center will be present at the Field Day to announce the Wild Blueberry Hall of Honor 2023 inductees. The Hall of Honor is a way to award and showcase individuals who have contributed to the success and sustainability of the wild blueberry industry in Maine, so come check it out, and find out who will be inducted this year!
Top: Wild Blueberry Hall of Honor 2022 Left: Wyman’s member giving a speech about the West Family Hero award at Field Day 2022. Right: Crane sisters holding the Memorial Award presented posthumously to Burleigh Crane at Field Day 2022.
We Appreciate Our Community Volunteers
Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped us prepare for our first season! Several members of the community and beyond stepped up to help our small team with tasks ranging from designing and building new exhibits to cleaning and organizing archives. We couldn’t do our work without community support. Thank you from the bottom of our blueberry hearts!
Left: Nicole and Erin DeBarber cut a board to install a new exhibit.
New WBHC Media Intern
We’d like to extend a warm welcome to our new Media & Communications intern, Mackenzie Cates! Thanks to a grant from the Maine Humanities Council, we are able to provide a stipend for a youth intern to help develop our marketing and communications for the 2023 season. Mackenzie is a student at Thomas College pursuing a degree in digital marketing, and we are excited to have her as a part of the team this summer.
Exhibit Sneak Peak
Animals play a vital role in the wild blueberry ecosystem. Everybody loves wild blueberries, after all! Multiple displays throughout the Center showcase the different native critters that inhabit the surrounding area, and provide people of all ages with a fun and interactive learning experience.
Above: A taxidermy grouse pair and black bear cub are just a few of the animals that visitors will see when exploring exhibits at the Wild Blueberry Heritage Center.
We are looking forward to what’s to come, and we are so grateful to community members like YOU for helping to sustain our work. Help us preserve wild blueberry heritage for years to come!
