38th Annual Sutherlin Blackberry Festival Returns Aug. 14-16 With Cars, Mud Races, Cook-Offs, and More
The 38th Annual Sutherlin Blackberry Festival returns Aug. 14-16 with classic cars, mud races, BMX racing, cook-offs, live music, family activities, vendors and more throughout Sutherlin.
SUTHERLIN, Ore. - One of Sutherlin's biggest community celebrations returns this week as the 38th Annual Sutherlin Blackberry Festival brings three days of classic cars, mud racing, live music, food competitions, family activities and longtime festival traditions to the community.
The festival runs Friday, Aug. 14 through Sunday, Aug. 16, with most activities centered around Central Park. Several events will also take place at other locations throughout Sutherlin.
Admission to the main festival is free, although some competitions, spectator events and activities have separate entry or registration fees.
Blackberry Festival At A Glance
The weekend begins with golf, the festival swap meet and a Friday night outdoor movie at Central Park.
Festival Swap Meet
The swap meet opens at CWI Auto Sales, 1101 S. Comstock Road, with auto parts, crafts and other vendors.
Sutherlin Rotary Golf Tournament
The 27th annual tournament takes place at Oak Hills Golf Club. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., followed by a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start. The tournament uses a four-person scramble format and includes lunch.
Central Park Opens
Friday evening festival activities begin at Central Park.
Drive-In Movie: "Smokey and the Bandit"
The Half Shell area becomes an outdoor movie theater. Walk-up seating will be available along with limited parking for classic vehicles from 1975 and earlier.
Saturday carries the biggest schedule of the weekend, including the Blackberry Car Show, BMX racing, mud volleyball, cook-offs and the evening Classic Car Cruise.
Blackberry Car Show Registration
Registration takes place at Central Park and costs $25. There is no preregistration this year. Organizers say as many as 200 vehicles have filled the park during previous shows. Awards are scheduled for 4 p.m.
Pancake Breakfast
Breakfast will be served at the Sutherlin Senior Center, 202 E. Central Avenue.
3-on-3 Basketball Tournament
Co-ed competition takes place at the Central Park basketball courts with divisions for ages 11-18, 19-45 and 45 and older. Registration is $100 per team, with proceeds benefiting the Sutherlin High School basketball program.
BMX Registration
Registration begins at 8 a.m. with racing at 10:30 a.m. The $5 entry donation benefits the Community Cancer Center. Classes are available for children up to age 13.
Mud Volleyball
Teams compete in a black clay mud pit during one of the festival's longtime traditions. Teams must have a female player in the pit throughout competition, and open-toed shoes are not allowed.
Opening Ceremonies and Festival Booths
The main festival gets underway at Central Park with food, vendors and activities throughout the park.
Blackberry Cook-Off
Registration begins inside the Community Building as competitors put their own spin on the fruit at the center of the festival.
Bingo
Bingo will be played inside the Community Building. The fundraiser benefits a youth trip to Washington, D.C.
Car Show Awards
Awards will be presented before vehicles prepare for the evening cruise.
Classic Car Cruise
The annual cruise travels along Central Avenue. Car show entrants are automatically eligible. Other participating vehicles must be from 1975 or earlier and pay a $5 cruise entry fee.
Live Music: Hecktic Week
Hecktic Week performs at the Central Park Half Shell during the Classic Car Cruise.
Sunday closes the festival with mud racing, motorcycles, chili, family competitions and the drawing for this year's custom pickup.
Mud Race Registration
Driver registration begins early Sunday, with racing scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Driver registration is $45. Spectator admission is $10 for adults, while children 8 and younger are free.
3-on-3 Basketball Finals
The weekend basketball tournament wraps up at the Central Park courts.
Church Service
A Sunday morning church service will be held at Central Park.
Swap Meet
The weekend swap meet continues at CWI Auto Sales.
Motorcycle Show
Motorcycles from around Oregon are expected to participate. Awards are scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Chili Cook-Off Registration
Registration begins inside the Community Building, with judging at 11 a.m. Categories include men's, women's and Texas-style no-bean chili.
Blackberry Bike Build Off Registration
The Bike Build Off returns for its second year. The showcase runs from noon to 3 p.m., followed by awards at 3:30 p.m.
Pet Pie Eating Contest
Pets compete to see who can finish their festival treat the fastest.
Blackberry Festival Mud Races
The mud races have been part of the Blackberry Festival since 1998 and have grown into one of the weekend's signature spectator events.
Bingo
Bingo returns for a second afternoon inside the Community Building.
Diaper Derby
Some of the weekend's youngest competitors take to the course in a race for babies who are still crawling.
Motorcycle Show Awards
Motorcycle awards lead into the final events of the festival weekend.
Custom 1956 Ford F100 Tops Festival Raffle
One of the biggest prizes of the weekend will be awarded Sunday when festival organizers hold the annual raffle drawing.
The 2026 grand prize is a custom 1956 Ford F100 pickup featuring a 5.0-liter engine, AOD-E transmission, Lincoln Mark VII dashboard and Lincoln front suspension.
Raffle tickets are $5 each. Organizers say as many as 15,000 tickets may be sold, and winners do not need to be present.
Other advertised prizes include:
- A Great Wolf Lodge family stay
- Private Wildlife Safari elephant and giraffe encounters
- A stay at Sunset Oceanfront Lodging in Bandon
- A Crystal Creek Meat Shop package
Festival Raises Money For Local Students
The Blackberry Festival's impact continues after the weekend ends, with proceeds from the annual raffle helping support scholarships for students in Sutherlin and Oakland.
In addition to traditional scholarships, the organization offers awards specifically for students interested in pursuing skilled trades.
The trade scholarship program can provide up to 10 scholarships valued at $1,000 each. GPA is not used as a consideration for the trade awards. Organizers instead emphasize attendance and a student's interest in entering a trade.
From Friday night's outdoor movie and Saturday's packed car show and cruise to Sunday's mud racing, the Blackberry Festival offers a full weekend of activities spread throughout Sutherlin.
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