Surf Internet supports Marshall County’s 59th Annual Blueberry Festival

On Saturday, August 30, thousands of residents in Northwest Indiana visited Centennial Park in Plymouth for Marshall County’s 59th Annual Blueberry Festival. This celebration, originating in 1966, honors Marshall County being a provider of more than one-third of Indiana’s blueberry crops at the time. 

“I’ve been doing this festival for a couple of years, and it’s easily one of my favorites,” said Raymond Limburg, game operator and festival volunteer. “When you see people winning a game or buying something that they can only find here at the Blueberry Festival, you can see how much they enjoy that. This festival always puts a smile on people’s faces.”

Nearly six decades later, the festival has grown annually and has been named a “Top 100 Event in North America” by the American Business Association in 1997, 1999, and 2007. This continuous growth has not only included the visitors in attendance, but also the participating vendors. One of the vendors that has been supporting the festival for several years is Surf Internet.

Gene Crusie, CEO of Surf Internet, is grateful every time that the Blueberry Festival welcomes his team to be a supporting vendor and lets the community know about the services they provide.

“Surf Internet has been a longtime supporter of the Marshall County community, including the Marshall County Blueberry Festival,” Crusie said. “Plymouth was one of our earliest gigabit communities, and our team enjoys the chance to engage with current and future customers of Surf Internet. In the early years of Surf constructing fiber internet in Plymouth, we partnered with local IT service organizations to make sure that wireless internet was available throughout the Blueberry Festival for the vendors.”

For Surf Internet, the Blueberry Festival provides an optimal chance for the company to introduce its services to new customers and connect with current customers.

“It gives us a chance to tell our stories to a wide range of residents in the Region,” Crusie said. “Surf Internet continues to invest its own private capital in partnership with various grant programs to inch towards our goal of making sure everyone who needs high-speed internet has access to it.”

Having a history in the Plymouth community is a big inspiration for why vendors such as Surf Internet are eager to support the Blueberry Festival every chance they get. 

According to Crusie, Marshall County commissioners have been some of the most visionary leaders in Indiana to embrace fiber optic technology before many others came on board. As a result, this inspired Surf Internet to bring the ChoiceLight fiber network (formerly known as the St. Joseph Valley MetroNet) to Plymouth.

“This initial bold step was the catalyst to other providers such as Marshall County Fiber, Rochester Telephone, Fourway Internet, and Surf Internet to invest in the community,” Crusie said. “Surf Internet is about to embark on some additional fiber optic network expansions in various areas around Marshall County, including rural areas that are north of Plymouth.”

Ryan Juran is an authorized contractor in the sales and promotions department with Surf Internet who offered his services working at the vendor booth this year. Juran loves the opportunity to show people the ways that Surf Internet can benefit them.

“My first two sales today were brand new customers to Surf Internet,” Juran said. “This festival is great for us to network with the community. It’s up there with the Indiana State Fair, Elkhart County Fair, and Pierogi Fest as one of the best events in the state.”

While the space to host the Blueberry Festival is large, one element that’s exciting for the vendors is how easily they are able to network with new faces. Whether a vendor is providing a blueberry-themed product or not, there are plenty of opportunities for vendors and attendees alike to learn about something new.

“A lot of vendors here have pretty interesting products,” Juran said. “I’m mostly monitoring my own tent, but when I get the time to see what the other vendors have to offer, I take that opportunity.”

Marshall County’s 59th Annual Blueberry Festival provided all attendees with the standard fair experience, with eccentric foods and rides that will get the blood flowing. Blueberries were a focal point for many vendors, utilizing them for treats such as ice cream, honey, donuts, muffins, and deep-fried Oreos. The official mascot of the festival, Blueberry Hank, also paid a visit to meet all of the attendees.

“There are so many different vendors with all kinds of unique items and souvenirs that make it a big draw for the community,” said Devon Stull, member of the Freemasons of Indiana. ”There are lots of food booths, little league baseball, games, and competitions happening. We also have the blueberry parade on Monday, which is a big deal, as well as the Blueberry Stomp that a lot of runners participate in.”

Between early morning sports, bike shows, tractor pulls and weigh-ins, a dog show, and performances from jazz, country, and rock bands, the festival has something for everybody. Surf Internet believes this event is a perfect opportunity for them to fulfill the mission of transforming the future of the Region.

“The Blueberry festival is a true community event,” Crusie said. “Our team members, who are working at the event, work and play in the same community. Supporting the Blueberry Festival reinforces our commitment to be right there in the community with our friends, neighbors, and customers.”

For more information on Surf Internet, you can visit surfinternet.com.