Cranberry Harvest Celebration welcomes record crowd of berry lovers

Oct 7, 2017

The 14th annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration had the biggest single day in its history on Saturday, with an estimated 15,000 people visiting to taste, play in and harvest cranberries at the A.D. Makepeace Company.

People came from all over the world, said said Linda Burke, A.D. Makepeace Company’s vice president for marketing and communications. There were many out-of-state groups, including extended families and tour groups, and people from New Zealand, Australia and across Europe and Asia.

The festival, co-sponsored by the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association and Ocean Spray Cranberries, featured something for everyone, from a demonstration on birds of prey to helicopter rides over the bogs. There was live music, a “build your own bog” station, cooking demonstrations and 109 vendors.

Chia-Ying Chen from Taiwan brought her 2-year-old son Andrew, their first time seeing cranberry bogs.

“Just sitting here looking at the cranberries on the water is soothing,” Chen said. “It’s much more than what I thought.”

Burke said feedback from the event on Saturday was positive. Most people said the event was well-organized and the staff was welcoming and eager to share knowledge.

"It certainly was successful from the perspective of everything going right," Burke said. "We put a lot of effort into it."

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker visited the bog too, the first time a governor has visited the Cranberry Harvest Celebration.

The celebration continues on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 158 Tihonet Road in Wareham. Admission is $10, $5 for children, seniors, and military. Children under 7 are admitted free. The Cranberry Harvest Celebration is held at 158 Tihonet Road in Wareham.