History of the Blueberry Festival

The Edmonton-Metcalfe "Blueberry Festival" -- which is held each year during the month of June -- began in 2001 at the local Edmonton CB Foods grocery store owned by Paul and Tana Shade (which is now IGA). With the idea of supporting local growers and doing a great job of marketing "Fresh Kentucky Grown Blueberries" grown locally by Larry and Jenny Martin of Bluegrass Blueberries, Paul and Tana decided to begin holding an "Annual Blueberry Festival". They had no idea what they had started! 

Over the next five years the festival grew from inside the store to both inside the store and the outside parking lot.

Until 2005, Edmonton CB Foods did the bulk of the of putting on the "Festival" with Bluegrass Blueberries lending a hand. In 200x, the KBGA got involved. With the added help of many hands (the members), it started growing. Since the parking lot at the store was bulging at the seams during the festival due to all the attractions, it was decided that starting in 2006 the festival needed to be held someplace with much more room, So, it was decided to move the festival to the town square in Edmonton.

The entire community of Edmonton supports the festival -- Nearly every business contributes prizes, the local Chamber of Commerce is very involved, the City and County do their part, and it is a great family time.

Come and join us for the games, prizes, contests, cook-off, craft booths, bike parade for the kids, pie eating contest, and lots of freebies including free music, free kiddie games and free blueberry milk shakes.

Thank You to Paul and Tana Shade for this wonderful beginning and their continued support. This goes to show you how much local support, and in this case one local grocery store, can make a difference in the community. Because of them, the Annual Blueberry Festival brings in many dollars to local businesses, provides a family atmosphere for fun, a showcase for local entrepreneurs and promotes one of the fastest growing industries in the state of Kentucky.

What started as a marketing idea has blossomed into one of the largest events held in Metcalfe County, Kentucky each year!