BETHLEHEM, Pa. — It’s that time of the season.
This weekend, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites will hold its 38th annual Blueberry Festival — chock-full of locally made desserts, live music, storytelling and more for the whole family.
The festival will be 3-7 p.m. Friday, July 18, at Burnside Plantation, 1461 Schoenersville Road.
The action ramps up Friday with Market to Go, open from 3-7 p.m., with offerings of blueberry crumb pie, coffee cake, strudel, sugar cookies and blueberry swirl ice cream.
New additions this year include blueberry crullers and gluten-free blueberry lemon mini-cakes.
To get tickets or register for the contests, go to historicbethlehem.org or by calling 610-691-6055.
About that food
Vallos Bakery, a Bethlehem staple for nearly a century, will supply the 9-inch blueberry pies and new-to-the-event crullers — about 525 and 400 of them — respectively, owner Tina Hanuschak told LehighValleyNews.com.
“We make our own homemade shells and our own homemade pies. It’s not a bucket pie or a pre-made shell.”
Vallos Bakery owner Tina Hanuschak
“We make our own homemade shells and our own homemade pies,” Hanuschak said. “It’s not a bucket pie or a pre-made shell.”
Beyond the pies, new and familiar festival offerings for 2025 include:
- Blueberry crumb cake from The Bakery Nook of the Coplay area
- Blueberry swirl ice cream from the Bethlehem Dairy Store
- Blueberry grilled cheese and a blueberry pulled pork sandwich with blueberry barbecue sauce from The Taste Budz, an Easton food truck
- DonutNV of Nazareth, with mini donuts and flavors including blueberry cobbler, blueberry lemon and blueberry glazed. Wash it down with fresh-squeezed or frozen blueberry lemonade or blueberry lavender iced coffee
- Whitehall Township-based The Rolling Brew with offerings such as a blueberry matcha and blueberry lime refresher
- International options include Aroi Mango (Sunday only) of Allentown, specializing in mango sticky rice, as well as mango Thai iced tea and lavender butterfly tea; Pasta Eva with homemade Italian cuisine; and Allentown-based Taco Town with its Mexican food
- Thirst Trap Lemonade out of Philadelphia with its fresh-squeezed drinks
Till you're blue in the face
Beth Beatty, HBMS special events manager, told LehighValleyNews.com there’s plenty of fun to go around, even beyond the food.
A history detective scavenger hunt comes free with admission.
“It encourages people to explore, especially the historic activities and demonstrations, looking for unique things, and it’s a great conversation starter,” Beatty said.
“You will learn some history by accident by participating in this.
“And if you find everything and bring a completed scavenger hunt back to the information tent, you get a prize.”
“The funds raised here go back to our historic programming and preservation, and the interpretation of three centuries of history right in our community.”
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites Events Manager Beth Beatty
Visitors also can witness on-site historic demonstrations such as blacksmithing, tinsmithing and candlemaking; take a tour of the historic house and garden on site; and peruse an expanded Vendor Village.
New and familiar names that will be part of the spread include Soaps on Linden; Cheryl Baker, Moravian Star Maker; Groundhog Blues Pottery; Tile Works of Bucks County; Liam’s Luck Woodcraft; and much more.
The Story Doctor will offer an interactive program bringing stories to life and related craft projects.
You can take a listen to live music at the Brewberry Tavern and Community stages both days, and experience some of the programming at the Johnson Barn — including artifacts and author visits.
A blueberry pie eating contest, with children’s, youth and adult divisions and prizes to the winners, will have folks blue in the face (literally).
And you can show off your skills with a baking contest and prizes from King Arthur Baking Company.
'Connects every visitor to our mission'
“This is a festival that connects every visitor to our mission here at Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites,” Beatty said.
“The funds raised here go back to our historic programming and preservation, and the interpretation of three centuries of history right in our community.”
With all the setup and two days of the festival, there will be well over 100 volunteers taking part by the time it’s all said and done, Beatty said.
“This is a large-scale undertaking that we could not accomplish without the help of our dedicated volunteers, including students who are doing community service hours for the Bethlehem Area School District."
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites Events Manager Beth Beatty
“This is a large-scale undertaking that we could not accomplish without the help of our dedicated volunteers, including students who are doing community service hours for the Bethlehem Area School District,” Beatty said.
Visitors can order the Blueberry Bonanza for a 20% savings when they buy a blueberry crumb pie, large strudel and large coffee cake all in a single package deal.
Parking will be available at Schoenersville and Mauch Chunk roads or the Nitschmann Middle School parking lot at 1002 W. Union Blvd.
A complimentary shuttle service will be available.