WCCP and the Blueberry Festival – a 33-year tradition

The Children's Program has been part of the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival since both entities were created in the mid-1970s. On the Friday night of Blueberry Festival,* hundreds of children and parents line up on upper Main Street for the Children's Parade. WCCP hands out dozens of bright blue balloons and the parade sets off around 6 p.m., trooping down Main Street and up Centre Street. Tricycles, wagons, doll carriages and strollers are all welcome. Surprise participants such as pied piper Gene Nichols, children's entertainers, Bruce the Moose, and the Tooth Ferry may be on hand.

When the parade ends, the participants and public join either at Bangor Savings Bank or at the Performing Arts Center up at UMM for free live entertainment sponsored by WCCP's Board of Directors. This past summer, Dinoman laughed everyone back to the Jurassic Period with his antics. In 2008, our scheduled entertainment is the Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers with their original play, The Banana Kid. This play featuring handmade puppets and Mt. Desert Island puppeteers will be staged at the UMM PAC.

Everyone is welcome to take part in these free events! Come one, come all to the 2008 Festival, August 12-17, 2008. The Children's Parade and Entertainment will be on Friday night, August 15. Parade lineup is at 5:45 p.m. at Machias Valley Baptist Church parking lot.

In the meantime, enjoy these photos of our 2007 event. (Click small images to view larger photo.)