By Staff
The 29th annual Alabama Blueberry Festival — held during one of the biggest heat waves we can recall in June — had the potential for problems because of the weather.
But just about everything went off without a hitch, thanks to the planning and preparation of festival organizers and sponsors.
Tents with cooling fans were set up to help people cope with the high temperatures, and chamber of comerce organizers were constantly encouraging folks to take advantage of the opportunity to find some relief.
In the end, though, the heat didn’t keep folks away from the festival — it was crowded, particularly in the cooler morning hours.
And folks found plenty to see and do, from children’s activities such as the petting zoo and water slide to arts and crafts vendors selling unique wares.
Our community has so much to be thankful for when it comes to putting on events such as the Blueberry Festival. The countless hours of volunteer work, along with sponsors’ help and donations, allows us to showcase our community, not only during Blueberry Festival but also during other activities, such as next week’s Fourth of July celebration in East Brewton.
As we watch larger cities struggle to maintain their signature events — such as Birmingham’s City Stages, so in debt now it has been cancelled for next year — we’re thankful that we have so many people in the community willing to support our local events. Obviously our Blueberry Festival is not on the same scale as City Stages, but for a small town, we do know how to put on a pretty good show.
Congratulations, and thank you, to all involved.