By BRETT McKAY
Michigan Correspondent

HARRIETTA, Mich. — Northern Michigan hosts many agricultural events throughout the summer and fall months and one of the newer events is the Harrietta Blueberry Festival, which is during the first week of August.

Harrietta is a former lumber town that now has a population of 299 people. The town might be small, but the residents love their blueberry festival.

“It brings the community together and it’s a fundraiser for the local Methodist Church.” explained Millie Fasing, a volunteer and resident of Harrietta.

In only its second year, organizers were originally divided on what type of festival they wanted to have. It was either going to be a trout festival or blueberry festival. They decided blueberries were a more abundant resource for them.

A prolific growing season also played a part in the festivals success this year.

“The blueberry harvest was very good this year. We had four times the amount of crop this year as last year due to all the rain,” said Lori Watson, one of the event’s organizers.

Blueberry Hill, one of the major growers in the Harrietta area, sold 2,000 pounds on the first day it opened. Organizers said that despite the plentiful growing season this year, they still had to bring in blueberries from the southern half of Michigan to ensure plenty of blueberries for the festival.

Spectators participated in many of the family events including: pie-eating contests, frozen t-shirt contests, water fights between local fire departments, children’s games, face painting, bingo, flea markets, local produce and live music. The parade featured 2008 Blueberry Queen Dora Zakrajsek, one of Harrietta’s oldest residents.