A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to designate the north carolina blueberry festival held in burgaw as the official State blueberry festival.
Whereas, the first blueberry cultivation in North Carolina began in Pender County; and
Whereas, in 1936, Harold Huntington of Cooperstown, New York, bought 1,000 acres of land between the Towns of Atkinson and Ivanhoe and planted blueberry bushes that he brought from New Jersey; and
Whereas, today, there are more than 2,900 harvestable acres of blueberries in the State with an estimated value of over $43 million; and
Whereas, the North Carolina Blueberry Festival, which celebrates the historical, economic, and cultural significance of blueberries in southeastern North Carolina, has become an annual event; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Chapter 145 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 145‑30. State Blueberry Festival.
The North Carolina Blueberry Festival held in the Town of Burgaw is adopted as the official blueberry festival of the State of North Carolina."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.