All things blueberry: 56th Annual Marshall County Blueberry Festival supports the community through revenue and tradition

 

PLYMOUTH, Ind. – The Marshall County Blueberry Festival hosts hundreds of thousands of people every year, and revenue dollars go right back into the community and nearby schools, organizations, scholarships, and nonprofits.

“My family will tell you I like it better than Christmas,” said Board of Directors Kari Vancza.

The festival started in 1967 as a “lunch with friends,” Vancza said. It was a picnic in the park to bring the Plymouth community together.

“We have people who were there who said they brought their own chairs,” she said. “They say around and just enjoyed the community.”

Now, 57 years later, hundreds of thousands gather in Plymouth’s Centennial Park for the Labor Day tradition. It was only canceled once, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“We are kind of the hub for a lot of organizations in this area with their yearly fundraisers,” Vancza said.

One such fundraiser is the All Things Blueberry tent, which Vancza runs, to create scholarships for local high school students.

Duane Culp, president of the Board of Directors for the fest, said the revenue dollars really help out the Plymouth community.

“It’s huge what comes into this town,” Culp said. “There’s about half a million people that come through here. Plus your vendors. Motels, restaurants, all that— makes good money.”

A new feature this year is a Beer Garden. Culp said it was three years in the making, but said it helps bring in extra revenue.

The festival also features a full carnival with 25 rides.

“We’ve got out giant Ferris wheel, it’s the largest one in the state of Indiana,” said Blake Houston, Vice President of North American Midway, the company that operates the carnival portion of the festival.

From the vendors, to the entertainment, to the blueberry treats, it’s easy to say the festival is a Michiana mainstay.