Ely’s 40th annual Blueberry/Art Festival had just begun Friday when a violent early evening storm struck, upending tents, ruining merchandise and scattering it all over Whiteside Park. Organizers had little choice but to cancel the event heading into the weekend. Wind gusts of up to 89 mph were recorded.
The community rallied to help vendors clean up after the storm and salvage what little undamaged merchandise they could recover.
To help those vendors recover, the Ely Chamber of Commerce put together a virtual Blueberry/Art Festival at ely.org/virtual-blueberryart-festival.
PREVIOUSLY: Ely’s Blueberry Art Festival canceled after storm damage
There, people can directly purchase art and merchandise from many of the festival’s vendors. Supporters also can donate to help people recover from the financial blow the storm dealt many festival participants. The virtual festival will continue through Aug. 31.
“We were so excited to have the festival this year,” Eva Sebesta, executive director of the Ely Chamber of Commerce, said in a news release. “So many of our festival vendors count on the income from festivals for their livelihood. The pandemic was so very challenging for them, as festivals were canceled throughout the U.S. We thought we were back on track, and now those same artists, crafters and makers were dealt a second blow last weekend.”
Tents at Ely’s Blueberry/Art festival were overturned and twisted by a powerful storm July 23. (Photo courtesy of Dafne Caruso)