The annual Poplarville Blueberry Jubilee blasts onto the scene this Saturday, June 14, filling downtown with arts, crafts, music—and a serious sporting edge. While the festival draws over 10,000 visitors each year, it’s the early-morning 5K Run and 1‑Mile Fun Run that has quietly evolved into one the event’s most exhilarating highlights
Began in 1984, the Jubilee began humbly on the courthouse lawn, focused solely on celebrating the local blueberry harvest blueberryjubilee.net. Over its 41‑year history, the festival has sprouted into a vibrant showcase—arts and crafts, storytelling, car shows, puppy pageants… and yes, a morning showdown for distance runners.
This year’s 5K Run kicks off at 7:30 AM, hosted by the Blueberry Jubilee Council, the Rotary Club of Poplarville, and Diva Race & Timing Services. With 163 registered participants spanning local runners and out‑of‑town athletes, the racecourse threads through hilly streets of Poplarville offering a scenic but challenging course.
The course begins near the First Baptist Church and winds through the old neighborhoods of Poplarville, with subtle hills and sneaky curves that test pace discipline. What starts out as a fun run quickly becomes a mental battle, especially as the humidity sets in. It then loops near Pearl River Community College, and ends back downtown with crowds gathering and you are running along hundreds of tents of blueberry vendors along the final hundred yards to the finish line.
The 1‑Mile Fun Run follows promptly at 8:30 AM, offering a family‑friendly dash through the heart of the festival. Though the focus is on fitness, the atmosphere is anything but serious—expect cheering crowds, blueberry‑themed treats at the finish line
Make sure you stop by Pearl River Drugs in Downtown. Inside there is a soda fountain for some blueberry pancakes or blueberry smoothies. Elsewhere, festivalgoers can enjoy gospel music on the Jubilee Stage, explore the Antique Car Show, take in the Blueberry Dog Parade, or browse through rows of booths offering everything fresh blueberries to blueberry soaps and candles to blueberry infused wings.
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