Maine is celebrating one of its smallest and most beloved agricultural products, the wild blueberry.
The Union Fair & Maine Wild Blueberry Festival is taking place in Union until August 25th. The event centers on the wild blueberry, a tiny fruit produced mostly in Maine and Canada.
Wild blueberries are smaller than their cultivated cousins, and they are used in processed and frozen foods as well as sold in pies and farmers markets. The Union festival will include the Maine Wild Blueberry Queen Coronation as well as a carnival midway, lawnmower drag racing and demolition derbies.
Maine’s wild blueberry industry has struggled in recent years due to low prices. The harvest takes place every late summer and is expected to be down for a second consecutive year.