ELY- Over 200 art, craft, and food vendors will assemble in Ely’s Whiteside Park this weekend for the Blueberry/Art Festival (BAF).
The festival begins on Friday, July 28 at 9 a.m., and ends on Sunday, July 30 at 4 p.m. Festival hours are Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Chamber of Commerce office manager and BAF organizer, Kristen Switajewski, has spent hundreds of hours planning the event, which features many of the festival’s favorite vendors plus more than 40 new ones. The festival is a juried show, so each new applicant has been reviewed by a panel of area artists and crafters.
On Friday, a panel of jurors will judge the BAF vendors to pick the top three winners in both the art and craft categories.
“We are excited to have a very diverse group of artists and crafters; there is something for everyone,” said Switajewski. “We have Shawn Bina of Guild of the Gilded Hilt, who does hand-crafted fantasy swords; Brian and Jill Siegel from Mystic Sparrow, who create wonderful gemstone jewelry and paintings; Katie Bromme with her wonderful watercolors inspired by the Minnesota landscape; Fredrick’s Forest who features wood crafts; and many more. Wade Pharr from Pharr Thrown Pottery is offering pottery wheel demonstrations and selling his work in the park during the festival.”
Switajewski added, “Our food court is filled with many vendors offering tasty treats, including turkey legs, fresh seafood, corn dogs, brats, cheese curds, authentic Mexican food, BBQ, waffles, funnel cakes, Oriental food, and frozen yogurt. The Ely Kiwanis will be in the pavilion with their delicious blueberry pies, ice cream, and sandwiches. The beer tent is back this year, and the proceeds will go to support the Ely Fire Department. There is something for everyone.”
The annual must-have BAF T-shirts and sweatshirts will be available at Pengal’s Basswood Trading.
In addition to the BAF activities in the park, the fourth annual Operation Blueberry event kicks off on Thursday, July 27. Fifteen businesses across Ely are offering a variety of mini-events during the day. A map and list of participating businesses are available on the Ely Chamber of Commerce social media pages, the Ely.org website, at the Chamber of Commerce office, and at the Chamber’s festival booth. The Chamber’s booth will also have the coveted “Blueberry List” featuring blueberry art, crafts, food, and many other items offered by vendors at the festival.