Wild Blackberry Festival set for Saturday in Joyce

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 28, 2026

JOYCE — The 43rd Joyce Daze Wild Blackberry Festival is set for Saturday at a variety of locations in downtown Joyce.

Festivities will kick off with breakfast sandwiches for sale from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. from the Crescent Bay Lions Club food trailer and will finish after the 2:30 p.m. button drawing.

This year’s festivities will include a salmon bake hosted by the Lions Club from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mini-Mall and the return of the beard contest. Contestants can sign up from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m at the Joyce Depot Museum.

Other featured events include a blackberry pie contest, blackberry pie sales, vendor booths, kids activities, live music, the Grand Parade down state Highway 112 at 1 p.m. and the ever-popular Extreme Slug Racing event at 2 p.m. at the Family Kitchen Beer Garden.

Organizers anticipate more than 200 freshly baked pies, made with local wild blackberries, to be available for sale.

The pies, sliced into sixths, will be sold for $7 per slice, $8 each when topped with ice cream.

Whole pies, if any remain, will be sold after the parade.

Proceeds from pies sales will benefit scholarships, community projects and equipment for the Joyce Fire Department.

Piemakers can drop off pies for the Wild Blackberry Pie Contest between 9 a.m. and 10:55 a.m. at the tent next to the museum. The youth category is for bakers ages 10-17.

For more information, email joinus@joycedaze.org or visit www.joycedaze.org.

Local bands will be featured throughout the day starting at 10 a.m. in front of the Joyce Museum.