Outdoor festivals have always been at the mercy of the weather, even in summer, but one in particular has organizers and participants watching the skies not just the week of, but the month of as well.
That event is Powell River Blackberry Festival. Every August, local pickers harvest hundreds of pounds of fresh berries for use in various blackberry-themed creations served throughout the week. Buckets more are needed by street vendors for the festival’s most popular tradition, Blackberry Street Party on Friday, August 19.
This year, pickers have a challenge on their hands, along with the usual berry juice. With July weather being colder and rainier this year than in recent years, blackberries, and berries in general, are behind. “Two to three weeks behind,” said Debbie Duyvesteyn, who operates Coast Berry Farm with her husband Roger.
The festival, however, is early. In its original days, the street party fell on the last full weekend in August but has since shifted to take place a week prior. While there are usually plenty of berries by then, this year’s supply is struggling to ripen in time.
Former street party organizer Ann Nelson remembers a similar incident when festival dates were moved to accommodate the carnival operators for Sea Fair. “It was another really late year [for berries] and it was nip and tuck,” she said. “It frightened me so badly I swore that I would never mess around with it again.
“When you have a weather and wild product-dependent festival, you have to give nature a chance to help you out,” she continued. “If you push your envelope, you’re going to be worrying the whole time.”
Nelson is now finding herself worrying in a different capacity, this time as a member of Townsite Heritage Society. The organization operates a booth at the street party, as well as the popular Blackberry Express delivery service during the week leading up to the Fall Fair.
“We serve this huge chunk of really fresh cake and fresh whipping cream and berries—whole berries and juice,” said Nelson, adding that volunteers prepare between 320 and 450 servings for the street party alone. The society currently has enough berries on hand to make about 200 servings, thanks in part to several bags Nelson saved in her freezer.
The rest, she said, are dependent on this week’s weather. Nearly 15 ice cream pails full of berries are still needed. “If we have any more nice hot days like the last few, [the berries] might just burst out so that we can actually have enough.”
Anne Parker of Advantage Travel and Cruise is also hoping her berry patch ripens in time. Each year, she and her staff serve homemade cheesecake with blackberry syrup. With a limited supply of just over 200 servings, the booth sells out every year.
“Luckily for me I had some berries frozen in the freezer, but not enough,” she said. “I still had to go begging and borrowing, although I do notice the blackberries are starting to get ripe, so we’re still hoping.”
Both Nelson and Parker are confident the sun will work its magic in time for the street party on Friday, but they agree that it’s going to be berry close.
