WELLBORN FESTIVAL
Wellborn Festivals and Events
By Hayli Zuccola
Wellborn is the epitome of a small town with a big heart , which is evident in their yearly and monthly community events organized by the Wellborn Community Association .
Easter Egg Hunt
The fun begins around Easter with a party and egg hunt for the community children . In addition to the annual hunt where guests are encouraged to bring their own baskets , the day also typically consists of egg painting , relay races , games and refreshments .
Blueberry Festival
The first Saturday of June marks Wellborn ’ s biggest event of the year : the annual Blueberry Festival . For 29 years , Wellborn has celebrated the humble and delicious blueberry with a community event featuring a pancake breakfast , over 100 vendors and plenty of blueberry-based treats .
This year ’ s festival was bigger and better than ever before with 114 vendors at Andrew ’ s Square selling crafts and other handmade items , plants , baked goods and more ; three locations to enjoy a $ 5 pancake breakfast ; a children ’ s area with a petting zoo , games and other activities ; live music from Suwannee Station Band ; parade ; people ’ s choice car show ; and blueberry-focused specialty breads , jams , jellies , pies and cakes .
The festival , which has grown exponentially over the years , is made possible through the hard working members of the Wellborn Community Association and lots of volunteers .
“ None of this could happen without our volunteers ,” said Annita Leonard , the secretary of the Wellborn Community Association . “ Every event is manned solely by volunteers . None of this could happen without our volunteers . We have the best volunteers in the world . We ’ re always needing more . We can ’ t thank our volunteers enough .”
“ The other thing is this could not happen without the Suwannee County Sheriff ’ s Department and Fire Department . I mean , they are right there helping us , supporting us in every way . I mean , they are just amazing , what they do to help us keep everybody safe ,” she said .
The variety of vendors also contributes to the festival ’ s continued success .
“ We ’ ve got vendors that come from North Carolina , south Florida , all over Georgia , all over Florida ,” Leonard said . “ We have two of our food trucks that come from the Tallahassee area every year , Mr . Stumpy , who is one of our favorite food trucks , he has been coming for 28 years to the Blueberry Festival .”
The money made from the annual Blueberry Festival in the spring and the newer Cornbread Festival in the fall goes toward helping the community .
“ The money that we make from the Blueberry Festival and Cornbread Festival goes to help put food on the table , shoes on children ’ s feet , school if they need school clothes , if they need school supplies , if there ’ s a family in need , if there ’ s a fire , if the elderly need help repairing their homes or roofs or floors . We really try to take care of our community ,” she said .
While the Blueberry Festival ’ s breakfast is always a big hit , it ’ s not the only time Wellborn locals can enjoy a homemade breakfast . Once a month , the Community Association offers a $ 5 morning meal with bacon , eggs , grits , sausage and pancakes at the community center as
106 SUWANNEE CHAMBER IMPACT | 2023-2024