ELLENVILLE, NY — For most of us, blueberries have just been an enjoyable fruit, one that we don’t hear of people being allergic to.

The Catskill Mountains must be a special place for the fruit, when you think of all the wild blueberry bushes enjoying summers here. I’ve been looking at them on my property for years, never appreciating just how lucky I am to be able to grab a quick snack or gather them for my fav, blueberry pancakes. 

All that changed when I went to the annual Blueberry Festival in Ellenville on Saturday, August 8; the day enhanced my appreciation for this versatile fruit.

RR photo by Benita Goldstein

People had clearly come from all around to partake in this fun event. In fact, there were many families with children who might have been participating in a blueberry donut-eating contest.

RR photo by Benita Goldstein

Canal Street, which is the main artery for everything in Ellenville, was closed to all traffic and totally occupied with vendors highlighting the blueberry in all forms while people milled about experiencing blueberry mania.

RR photo by Benita Goldstein

There was a vendor who had remarkable jewelry resembling the luscious fruit, and then a beautiful replica of a blueberry pie, which was actually an artistic candle. And the T-shirts outside of my fave store, Top Shelf, had the saying, “Pretend I’m a Blueberry.”

RR photo by Benita Goldstein

And what would attract people the most? Of course, food and drinks. At Gaby’s Mexican restaurant, a sign advertised blueberry mojitos, sangria and margaritas. Aroma Thyme, another restaurant, had its sign up for specialty drinks like Blueberry Bloom and Blueberry Cloud.

RR photo by Benita Goldstein

Then there were the vendors providing everything from blueberry coffee to syrup to donuts and even blueberry hamantaschen from Cohen's Bakery. While salivating at all of this, we were lulled by—what else—bluegrass music in front of the Hunt Memorial Building.

RR photo by Benita Goldstein

Most amazing of all was that 2026 marked the 37th anniversary for the Ellenville Blueberry Festival. Judging by the amount of people in attendance, they’ve already marked their calendars for next year. Kudos to the Ellenville-Wawarsing Chamber of Commerce for continuing a tradition people love and ensuring blueberries go a long way. Go to ewcoc.com for their info.

On a side note, one of the vendors knew that a Blueberry Mountain exists in New York State just south of Lake Placid. For those who didn’t want the Fest to end, this might be a way to continue the celebration.