Instructions: Washington County is a part of Maine that few visit. Most vacationers traveling up coastal Route 1 veer right onto Mt. Desert Island for the splendor of Acadia National Park and never continue exploring their way up the coast. A pity, really. For the further Down East you travel, the prettier it gets.

This part of Maine is not for everyone, though. Its raw beauty comprises ledges, blueberry barrens and pine trees. Tourist and trinket shops are few and far between, replaced by general stores and antiques or handicrafts shops. For those hooked on fast food, this region is a wasteland: Theres only one McDonalds between Ellsworth and Calais - a distance of more than 60 miles.

Thats a blessing, though. If you truly want to learn about a place, you need not only visit its historical sites, walk its streets and talk with its people, you need to eat with the locals and sample local specialties. I like to find the local breakfast hot-spot (in Machias, its Helens), take a seat at the counter and eavesdrop as the natives gossip and banter about politics and education.

Such experiences give you the flavor of the place.

In Machias, the center of Maines wild blueberry country and the shiretown of Washington County, that flavor is blueberry. Food, culture, and history all come together during the annual wild blueberry festival.

Wild blueberries are not like the cultivated high-bush varieties available elsewhere. These blueberries are smaller and sweeter, deeper in color, and prized by bakers for their ability to maintain their form in baking. Theyre only grown in Maine and eastern Canada.

While the Machias region is home to plenty of fishermen, lobstermen and woodsmen, its the blueberry thats king of the field and has been for more than a century. Barrens dominate the landscape. Locals talk of the hardships of raking and of the newly publicized healthful benefits of wild blueberries.

Youll see migrant workers in one field, mechanized harvesting in another. In August, blueberries are everywhere, and the festival is the talk of the town.

Twenty-five years ago, a few parishioners of Machias Centre Street Congregational Church were looking for a way to honor the blueberry harvest, bring the church and community together, and benefit both financially, and the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival was born. Although centered at the church, this small-town celebration reaches far beyond, taking in all ages, townspeople from all walks of life and visitors who hail from every state and many foreign countries.

Held annually on the third weekend in August, the festival opens Friday evening with a childrens parade and traditional fish-fry dinner. It continues Saturday with an all-you can-eat blueberry pancake breakfast, road races, a blueberry dessert bar, a blueberry cooking contest, a blueberry pie-eating contest, musical entertainment, the raffle of a hand-quilted and embroidered blueberry quilt and a huge, all-day handicrafts fair, with many blueberry-influenced items. Lobster, chowder, steamers, and sandwiches are available for lunch for those whove had too many berries.

Rounding out the weekend is a home-grown musical that celebrates the blueberry. You may recognize the music, but not the words. Locals know to purchase tickets early; its always a sell-out. The talent is awesome, the community pride palpable, the message uplifting. Its both educational and fun.

The musical is, to an extent, the heart of the festival. As for its soul: The festival ends Sunday with a service of thanksgiving for the blueberry harvest.

Even if you take part in just a few of the events over the weekend, youll come away tasting the flavor of Machias.

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