Huckleberry Festival

What’s a huckleberry?  Is there another fruit that is so embedded in American culture, yet as little understood, as the huckleberry?  We’ve all heard of Twain’s Finn, and Hanna-Barbera’s Hound, but other than the lucky few who live where wild huckleberries thrive, few of us have ever even seen a huckleberry.  Is it the same thing as a blueberry?  No, it’s not, and aficionados will insist the two are completely different, but the truth is, they are similar in appearance and taste.  Huckleberries only grow wild, however, and each berry contains ten larger seeds (larger than the tiny seeds of blueberries, that is).  They are also more intense in flavor than the common blueberry.

This is surely a fruit worth celebrating, and there are a few huckleberry festivals around the country.  One happening right now, and continuing through Saturday, is the 42nd Annual Huckleberry Festival in Jay, Oklahoma.  Local pie bakers will be submitting their huckleberry creations Saturday morning, with the judging to take place at 9 am at Arvest Bank.  The pies will then be auctioned off at 10:30 am at Court House Square, where at the same time, free ice cream with huckleberry sauce will be available!  Huckleberry lemonade will be served from 10 am until noon.

Other food related activities include a pancake breakfast Saturday at 7 am, snow cones at the pie judging at 9 am, the famous Masonic Lodge Hog Fry at 11:30 am, and sliced watermelon at noon.  Eating contests will include the Long Cheese Coney Eating Contest at noon and the Jell-O Eating Contest at 12:15 pm, both at Mom’s Country Kitchen, and a Root Beer Chug-A-Lug Contest at 3 pm at Sonic.  There will be fireworks Friday and Saturday nights, a carnival tonight and Friday night, and gospel music Saturday night.  Also planned: a Huckleberry Run, arts and crafts, a baseball card show, horse shoe pitching, a parade at 10 am Saturday, mechanical bull riding, a tricycle race, and a water balloon relay.  For more information see the festival schedule.