COBB, Calif. — Gray skies and the occasional raindrop didn’t dampen the spirits of the thousands who made their way to Cobb Mountain on Saturday for the fourth annual Blackberry COBBler Festival, held each year in August.

The Belmont Pines (formerly Mountain Meadow) Golf Course in Cobb Village served as the festival venue.

Vendors of all types, 90 this year, sold wares in tents that meandered throughout the picturesque meadow with pine-covered hills as a backdrop. Many had blackberry-themed products and edible items created especially for the festival.

The festival has grown since its inception in 2019, with an estimated 4,500 people in attendance this year. This was the first festival experience for many, and attendees came from throughout, as well as outside of, Lake County.

This themed event provides a means to showcase local businesses and artisans while giving community organizations an opportunity to raise funds. Homemade blackberry cobbler sold by the Cobb Mountain Lions Club helps support their work in the community, and a play area for children, the Kid’s Zone, was a fundraiser for Cobb School.

Blackberry jams and vinegars, blackberry baked goods and drinks, and blackberry-scented soaps and candles were sold throughout the festival. Food vendors created special menus for the event. The Henny Penny Catering Company, for example, offered tacos with a blackberry-mango salsa.

Festival goers could enjoy live music on a shaded patio while indulging in the wide variety of comestibles available. Barbecue platters, tacos, Hawaiian shave ice, ice cream, boba tea, hand-crafted candy, local beer and wine, and more was on hand. And, of course, there was plenty of blackberry cobbler.

The Cobb Area Council and the Seigler Springs Community Redevelopment Association jointly produce the yearly festival. Cathy McCarthy, Cobb Area Council Chair, and Jennifer Gayda of the Bottlerock Candle Company worked to co-chair the event.

According to McCarthy, the festival was created as a means to draw people back to Lake County after the 2015 Valley fire, as well as to bring some light-hearted fun to the area after such a devastating event. They anticipated about 500 guests at their 2019 inaugural event held at Whispering Pines Resort in Cobb, but 2,000 people showed up, including many from outside the area who had fond memories of past vacations on Cobb.

McCarthy is pleased at the wide support of the Cobb community, including a volunteer pool of both full-time and part-time residents. Local businesses are also supportive, she said. Mountain High Coffee and Books, for example, is featuring blackberries in their baked goods, and the Adams Springs Golf Course Restaurant created a special blackberry-inspired menu.

After a few months of well-deserved rest, the committee will begin planning next year’s festival to once again draw people to Cobb and infuse some blackberry-themed fun into the community.

Editor’s note: The article has been corrected to state that the inaugural event in 2019 was held at Whispering Pines Resort, not Pine Grove.

Esther Oertel is a freelance correspondent for Lake County News.