WILTON —The 2024 Wilton Blueberry Festival was a bustling celebration of community spirit, family-friendly activities and blueberry-themed fun, drawing large crowds over the weekend of August 2 and 3.

Friday, August 2 kicked off with a series of events, beginning with the Congregational Church’s food and plant sales, the Wilton Free Public Library’s book sale, and the United Methodist Church’s bake sale and bagged lobster lunch.

These activities were followed by free fire truck rides on Main Street where children, donned in free firefighter helmets, eagerly lined up for a ride. Eight-year-old Jackson was all smiles after his turn on the fire truck. Several children said they were hoping to have a second ride.

The evening featured the highly anticipated races, starting with the 1 mile fun run at 5 p.m. at Cushing Drive. The 5K and 10K races commenced at 6 p.m. from 116 Weld Road and concluded with a street dance featuring Tim Lambert and High Mileage on Main Street.

Despite the hot and sunny weather, the races saw enthusiastic participation, with Wilson the blueberry mascot cheering runners at the start and finish line.

Race Results:
5K Race:
1. Trey Stinchcomb, Jacksonville, FL 19:29.40
2. Sam Perkins, Jay, ME  21:34.56
3. Christian Bean, Industry, ME  21:42.74

10K Race:
1. Benjamin Butterfield, Phillips, ME  39:19.16
2. Noah Civiello, Wilton, ME 44:05.36
3. Karen Fogg, York, ME 47:18.38

1 mile Fun Run:
1. Forest Raymond, Farmington, ME 5:49.34
2. Rainier McShane, Waterbury, VT 6:05.49
3. Miles Raymond, Farmington, ME 6:05.62

Kineowatha Park was a hub of activity Saturday, Aug.3. offering free kid-friendly activities such as bounce houses, waterslides, jousting areas, wrecking ball, petting zoo and horse rides. Attractions at Kineowatha Park saw long lines of excited children, especially at the waterslide bounce house.

It was a perfect sunny, warm day to head down to swim in Wilson Lake. Susan from Connecticut said her twins, Kayla and Kyle, age 8, found relief from the heat by a quick swim. She said they came to the festival last year and had a blast.

There were trucks like the Fresh Eatz Food Truck and the Healthy Community Coalition mobile health unit set up at Kineowatha Park. People were lined up for fried foods, cold drinks and frozen treats. The longest line was for the fried foods and cold sodas.

The weekend concluded with the much-anticipated fireworks display over Wilson Lake.