ELY- The area’s biggest summer event officially kicks off at 9 a.m. this Friday at Whiteside Park, marking three days of music and food, along with hundreds of artists and crafters displaying their wares, all in recognition of the North Country’s iconic wild food— the blueberry. 
This year’s Blueberry/Art Festival features 237 booths filled with artists and crafters, including long-time favorites like Raucous Jewelry, Bear Island Art Factory, Keepsakes, and Jim the Carver.  Some new vendors include Lakota Made, Moonlight Musings Studio, Dug Designs, and Polly Noll Pottery. These are just some of the new and returning vendors. You never know who you might see.
The food court features Bob-B-Que, Becky’s Oriental, SB Concessions, and many other favorites.  The Ely Fire Department will host the beer tent, and will once again serve their pork chops on a stick and other savory favorites.  The Kiwanis are in the park pavilion dishing delicious pie (blueberry, of course), coffee, ice cream, and other treats.
“We have a new layout for the park’s southern end that creates a better flow than last year,” said Kristen Switajewski, festival coordinator.  “We also have a new kid’s section near the playground.  We have Frozen Tundra with cold beverages, bobas and cotton candy, Minnesota Marshmallows, kids book authors, hand-crafted toys, and more.”
 Another new feature is a Parent Station sponsored by the Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital.  The nursing and diaper change station allows parents a quiet, shaded area for feeding and changing infants and toddlers.  The tent is located at the intersection of the park walkways and will be marked with banners.
“There are changes to our booth judging as well,” said Switajewski.  “In the past, we only reviewed art and craft vendors and did not have maker or marketplace categories.  We do this year. In addition, we have an option for the public to select their favorite food vendor using QR Code voting.  Food vendor voting closes on Saturday, July 27 at 5 p.m., and awards are announced on Sunday morning.”  
A final addition to the festival includes a People’s Choice – Best of Show award.  The public can purchase a People’s Choice Judge button and ballot for $5.  A portion of the proceeds go to the top three artists, crafters, makers, or marketplace vendors.  Each ballot has three spots to list the judge’s favorites.  Voting ends at 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 27.  Awards will be announced on Sunday morning.
And for those who want to explore Ely’s many treasures beyond the confines of the park, Operation Blueberry starts on Thursday, July 25, and runs through Sunday, July 28, in the many storefront businesses in town.  Operation Blueberry starts a day ahead of the festival to allow visiting vendors time to shop.  There are sales, special events, and featured products as part of the Operation Blueberry business event.  A map with participating stores is available on the ely.org website on the Blueberry/Art Festival page.
Festival hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, July 26-27, and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 28. The festival map and vendor list will be available online at Ely.org on the Events page and can also be found on page 3B in this week’s paper.