Blueberry farms will open to the public across the state Saturday and Sunday for the fourth annual Wild Blueberry Weekend. At different locations, you can try your hand at raking, watch wild blueberries being harvested, eat blueberry-based foods, attend educational talks and even learn blueberry songs.
We rounded up 10 blueberry activities across the state you might not have expected. Most also offer opportunities to rake, and all have berries for sale. A full list and itinerary is available on the event website.
Have a pancake breakfast and do crafts
Dresden’s Fields Fields Blueberries hosts a pancake breakfast both mornings. Enjoy a nature play area for kids and do blueberry crafts. The farm will host tours of the fields, where you can see interesting geological features, view the farm’s bee apiary and participate in processing.
Learn to hand rake comfortably, sing blueberry songs and meet pollinators
In Lincolnville, Three Streams Farm offers lessons in raking blueberries for “body wellness and berry perfection” at 2, 4 and 6 p.m. both days. You can learn to use their winnower onsite in the afternoons, hear stories and songs of the field both evenings and find out more about blueberry pollinators at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Ride your ATV
Lakeview farms in Columbia Falls offers guided tours of their blueberry barrens by ATV on Saturday morning. You can rent an ATV or bring your own for the several mile trip, which runs until 2 p.m. Reservations are required.
Attend a sunrise blessing
In Roque Bluffs, Welch Farm has tentatively scheduled a blessing in the blueberry fields by Hubert Francis, a member of the Mi’kmaq Tribe, at 5:15 a.m. Saturday to begin the year’s harvest.
As the weekend continues, visitors can explore the farm and nearby beaches, take a guided tour, watch the farm’s mechanical and human harvesters, try raking and watch the processors at work.
Make free pies with a chef
Smithereen Farm in Pembroke offers U-pick and raking on both days. Free blueberry pie-making, jam-making and filling preparation on the woodstove with chef Odessa Piper is open to everyone at the farm’s summer kitchen.
Have blueberry cocktails with dinner
Brodis Blueberries in Hope, a ninth-generation farm, will have its Blue Barrens Distillery operating both days. Cocktails and mocktails will be available from noon to 6 p.m. both days.
Short hikes and opportunities to rake will also be available. The farm has plans for food trucks, blueberry dessert, local vendors and a reading of the Maine classic “Blueberries for Sal.”
Visit living history with a blueberry industry pioneer
A visit to Wescogus Wild Blueberries in Addison is “like going back in time,” its farmers say. Dell Emerson has been growing wild blueberries since 1953. An 11th-generation Down East farmer, he spent his career at the University of Maine’s blueberry research farm.
Emerson and his son Zane founded the Maine Blueberry Equipment Company and pioneered specialized equipment for small wild blueberry operations, such as the walk-behind harvester many use today.
Along with many other accomplishments for the state’s blueberry industry and small growers, Emerson said he believes in connecting with customers to discuss his ideas, history and adventures in growing.
See blueberry research projects in action
The research farm where Emerson spent his career is still busy in Jonesboro. Tours and a poster session are offered by students and researchers explaining projects that address climate change, nutrition, water retention and pest management for wild blueberries.
Watch a documentary
A 2023 documentary, “Growing Wild,” tells the stories of Maine wild blueberry growers, some of whom are opening their farms this weekend. It’s available to watch online and in person at some blueberry farms.
Fields Fields will screen it at 4 p.m. Saturday with a Q&A to follow. Welch Farm will also show “Growing Wild” at 1 p.m. both days.
Visit the blueberry dome
All right, you might’ve known you could do this one. But the Wild Blueberry Heritage Center, in its blueberry-shaped home alongside Route 1 in Columbia Falls, is hard to miss. Exhibits will teach you about the history of the berries in Maine, and a gift shop and bakery will keep your energy up afterward.
