Huckleberry Festival set for berry good time at Castle

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on August 23, 2022.

Castle Mountain Resort west of Lethbridge is hosting its 26th annual Huckleberry Festival this Saturday.

The event invites guests to come down and pick as many berries as they can while enjoying food, live music, beer gardens, games, and a vendor market, along with its star attraction, a chance to ride the chairlift all the way up into the mountain without having to strap on the snow boots.

“It’s the one single sole time that we run the chairlift in the summer months,” said Cole Fawcett, sales and marketing manager for the Resort. “(It provides) The ability to get on the lift and get up around the tree line, where the good berry picking is. The chairlift is a means to get you a little bit closer to them, because they don’t grow in the valley bottom. They are very unique, the star of the show, growing in the area of Castle and Waterton region, the only place in Alberta that they can be found. Commonly compared to a blueberry, but a little tarter and tangier than your average blueberry.”

“The Huckleberry Festival has been going on for more than a quarter century. Starting off as a community run event, the ski resort has taken over with a lot of help from our community organizations that we work closely with. It’s continued to grow over the years and we are expecting somewhere between 1,000 to 1,500 people out on Saturday,” said Fawcett.

Those looking for a challenge with their picking are more than welcome to hike up the mountain, with the Resort pointing out the festival is free to the public. Fawcett noted the chairlift does require a fee which sells out quickly so snag those online before they’re sold out.

“It’s an experience to ride the chairlift. But the event itself is very low commitment. You can buy a ticket to ride the chair if you want. But we welcome anyone that wants to hike up the mountain on their own without any fee. The same goes for all the live music. No cost in any way, shape, or form, to come hang out and visit our vendors while taking in the music for the afternoon,” said Fawcett.

From buckets and ice cream jugs, even stained pant pockets, the festival has seen all sorts of containers with the goal of gathering a good harvest in mind. Huckleberries make for great pies and jams, and it seems everybody’s grandma knows a secret recipe for baking sweet treats using these berries.

The festival gives people a chance to pick and gather while strolling through the beautiful mountains and taking in the sights.

With music playing from noon to 10:45 p.m. the festivities will surely entertain.

“Without giving away too many secrets, don’t be afraid to venture off the beaten path, with safety in mind, to find the best berry picking spots,” said Fawcett.

For more information visit http://www.skicastle.ca/huckleberry-festival.