MACHIAS – The annual blueberry pie eating contest -messy, but a lot of fun – will be just one of the many activities this weekend at the 32nd annual Machias Wild Blueberry Festival.

The festival, to be held Friday through Sunday, Aug. 15-17, is a church and community project of the Centre Street Congregational Church in conjunction with the Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.

Lisa Suarez, a festival organizer, said Tuesday that she guaranteed good weather. “We are due for a really good weekend,” she said with a laugh. More than 20,000 people attended last year’s event.

The annual Wild Blueberry Festival celebrates the blueberry with a Main Street parade, food, crafts and fine art by regional artists, live music and activities for children. The Down East region of Maine produces nearly 85 percent of the world’s blueberries, according to the Chamber’s Web site.

There are some new and exciting events this year, Suarez said.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, the Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony Orchestra will perform in the sanctuary of the church.

This year’s blueberry musical, “Bluefinger,” will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday.

“It has a variety of songs. There is a singalong song and there’s a country song. Then most of the songs are based on ‘The King and I,’ and the other name of the play is ‘The Blueberry and I,’ but that’s just referring to the music,” Suarez said.

There also will be tours of a blueberry farm. “We have a working farm in the area in Roque Bluffs,” she said. “There will be a demonstration of all the different tools both by hand and mechanical harvesting.” A shuttle will take people to the farm.

The University of Maine at Machias is holding a “blueberry jam” at the campus.

Other features include tours of the Blueberry Museum and Burnham Tavern, more than 200 craft booths and a book sale at the Porter Memorial Library.

Saturday’s events include the annual blueberry pie-eating contest, 5-mile and 1-mile footraces and a blueberry quilt exhibit.

At 9:25 a.m. Sunday the Paul Revere Bell will ring to call people to worship.

For information on times and activities go to the festival’s Web site at www.machiasblueberry.com.

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