ELLENVILLE – On Saturday, The Blueberry Festival, sponsored by the Ellenville-Wawarsing Chamber of Commerce, took place to the delight of many. The event was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
The annual event goes back several years with the Shawangunk Mountains, or “Ridge” as the locals refer to them, as a backdrop. The Ridge has perfect growing conditions for huckleberries.
Pickers used to go into the mountains and pick huckleberries and while they were there they noticed there were some wild blueberries growing alongside the huckleberries.
Over the years the blueberry gained popularity as the berries were shipped from Ellenville to markets in New York City. Local folklore says that a woman whose nickname was Mother Blueberry was part of The Blueberry Festival.
