Sickles Market’s Annual Blues Festival at Little Silver, New Jersey, will be held on Saturday, July 17, 2010 from 10 am - 4 pm. The 11th Annual Blues Festival celebrates summer and locally-grown blueberries and blue Jersey products in the Gourmet Food Market, http://www.sicklesmarket.com/
http://www.sicklesmarket.com/
with fun activities for the entire family. Come enjoy free Face Painting, Blue Balloons and the traditional Blueberry Pie Eating Contest. All activities are free. Sign up is required for pie eating contest.
Additionally there will be many specials on blue flowers, plants, New Jersey blueberries, and other “blue” products throughout market. There will be demos and tastings in market and garden center. Once you have tasted, seen, touched and smelled all things blue, you can hear the blues too. Sickles Market will feature live blues music by local legend Chuck Lambert who has been playing the blues for over 40 years.
Two Blueberry Pie Eating Contests are scheduled as follows:
Contest I – 12 p.m. Category One - contestants 5 – 10 years old & Category Two, 11 – 16 years old
Contest II - 2 p.m. Category One – contestants 5-10 years old & Category Two, 11 – 16 years old.
There is no fee for the pie eating contest, but pre-registration is required and the deadline is 10 a.m. Saturday, July 17. Participants should wear old clothes. Sickles will provide covering but is not responsible for stains on clothing.
Sickles employees Blueberry Pie Eating Contest is at 4 p.m. and is highly competitive among staff members. Owner Bob Sickles (also a competitor) awards the winner with a $100 cash prize and $100 to donate to the winner’s favorite charity.
Did you know?
-Blueberries are packed with antioxidants, which help keep memory sharp as you age.
-Blueberries are sodium and cholesterol free, high in fiber and Vitamin C.
-New studies suggest that berries may be good for your heart and your bones as well.
-Rutgers University in New Jersey have identified compounds in blueberries that promote urinary tract health and reduce the risk of infection by preventing bacteria from adhering to the cells that line the walls of the urinary tract.
-Reports on Blueberry consumption show they may alleviate the cognitive decline occurring in Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions of aging.
-All berries are great sources of fiber, a nutrient important for a healthy digestive system.
High Bush Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) were designated as the State Fruit in 1993.
New Jersey is second in the nation in cultivation of blueberries, producing 21 percent of the nation’s total, with 38 million pounds grown annually on 8,000 acres spanning seven counties.
Sickles Market - celebrating 102 years in retail in 2010, is a trusted source for well-edited quality selections of produce, baked goods, gourmet grocery items, hand cut-to-order artisanal cheeses, prepared foods, cut flowers, a garden center, and a gift department.
