Mount Shasta's Blackberry Music Festival is back! Here's what to expect in 2021
Mount Shasta's Blackberry Music Festival will return in 2021 – but there will be a few changes.
The 34th annual event will be held at Shastice Park instead of the City Park on Sunday of Labor Day weekend, Sept. 5. There will be one band – yet to be announced – instead of the traditional three, and the event will be shorter by two hours to help the club adapt to the challenges presented by COVID event protocol, said the festival's coordinator, Merle Anderson.
The festival will begin at noon and end at 4 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. Attendees will be invited to bring their own picnic lunches; Rotary will offer only beverages, blackberry pie and ice cream for sale.
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While there will be several changes, many features that have made the festival such a popular Labor Day Weekend event will continue, Anderson said. There will be music with no admission fee, sponsored by Mechanics Bank. Rotary will offer a variety of games for kids. Soda, beer, and wine coolers will be available for sale. And more than 350 pies will be baked exclusively for the event by Rotarian volunteers.
Festival sponsors and on site sales support Mt. Shasta Rotary’s community service projects. Local projects include public trails, college scholarships, dictionaries for local third graders, donations to the local senior nutrition program, a trout pen project at Lake Siskiyou and support for other local programs such as the high school Interact Club and recreation opportunities for disabled people. Mt. Shasta Rotary also manages an ongoing community water and health program in Africa in partnership with other Rotary clubs and Save the Rain.
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"Mt. Shasta Rotary is excited to be reviving the Blackberry Music Festival after having to cancel it last year, " said Anderson. "The festival is a long standing Labor Day weekend tradition in Mount Shasta, drawing local families and friends together with area visitors to celebrate the end of summer with a Sunday afternoon of music and picnic fun."
Contact Anderson for more information at (530) 925-6795.
Mt. Shasta Rotary is the service club made up of your neighbors and friends. Contact us today at mtshastarotary@gmail.com, and follow us on social media as @mtshastarotary. Our website is MtShastaRotary.org.