Blueberry pizza? Sudburians celebrate their favourite berry

Despite having been the chair of the Sudbury Blueberry Festival for many years, John Lindsay said he'll never get tired of blueberries.

“Blueberries are the most nutritious food, I understand, on the planet,” he said. “So the more you eat, the longer you're going to live. You can never get 'blueberried out.'”

Lindsay will certainly get a chance to enjoy his favourite food July 13-20, during the 29th edition of the Sudbury Blueberry Festival, which features 16 different blueberry-themed events across the city.

“It seems like every year we always add a couple more events,” he said.

The festival's most infamous event, is, of course, the Downtown Sudbury Celebrity Pie Eating Contest. The event, now in its 20th year, takes place at noon July 17 at the Rainbow Centre Mall.

Complete with his blue spandex body suit, reporter Jonathan “The Human Smurf” Migneault will compete on behalf of Northern Life.

“I did partake in that a few years ago and I'm still trying to get over it,” Lindsay said.

Another popular blueberry festival event is the Blueberry Bash, which takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 19 at The Market, and includes a pancake breakfast, live music and children's activities.

Then there's the annual climb up Blueberry Hill in Minnow Lake, which takes place starting at 10 a.m. July 14. Participants are asked to gather at the Carmichael Arena before the roughly 45-minute hike.

If you're an adventurous eater, Topper's Pizza is selling blueberry pizza at its King Street location from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 19.

“People look at blueberry pizza and they say 'Uck,'” Lindsay said. “But today we had all the folks (at the festival's media launch) try it, and they all gave it an eight to 11 out of 10 rating. So it really is tasty.”

The One-Eleven Senior Citizens' Centre, based out of St. Andrew's Place downtown, is offering a more conventional treat during its July 16 Blueberry Social — cake with blueberry sauce.

The event, which has a $7 admission, takes place in St. Andrew's second floor gym starting at 1:30 p.m. The musical group No Name Band will perform.

“I think it's great to join the rest of the community and help celebrate,” said the club's president, Barbara Faulkner. “We have the best blueberries in the world, really, and you can go and pick them anywhere you want.”

For a full listing of Sudbury Blueberry Festival events, visit www.blueberryfestival.ca.