For more than a half century, area residents and summer visitors have flocked to the annual Winslow Blueberry Festival hosted by the Winslow Congregational Church to enjoy Maine blueberries baked in pies, cakes, muffins and buy desserts to take home.

Over the years, the festival has grown to include children’s activities, vendors selling arts and crafts, and lots of live music.

The festival raises money not only to help sustain the church, but also to support the Winslow Community Cupboard, a food pantry on the church’s 12 Lithgow St. property, as well as other church humanitarian efforts to help the community.

On Aug. 8 and 9, the festival kicks off for its 54th year with more offerings than ever, according to festival chairman David Deas. Admission is free both days.

“It’s a fun, outdoor community effort,” Deas said Thursday. “People look forward to it every year. It’s very much a community gathering and people come and see friends and people that they haven’t seen in over a year. But we also get a lot of summer people, like from the Belgrade area.”

On Friday, Aug. 8, activities will kick off at 3 p.m. and continue to 7:30 p.m. with a chicken barbecue to benefit the food cupboard. Dinners will be $15 each. Live music also is on tap.

On Saturday, a blueberry pancake breakfast will be hosted 7-10 a.m. The cost is $7 a person and $5 for children 12 and under, payable at the door.

Some 700 blueberry pies and other baked goods will be offered for sale on both days of the festival. Blueberry pies are $15 each or two for $25, and may be picked up at the church any time from 3-7:30 p.m. Friday, or 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday until all are sold.

“We have homemade blueberry muffins, blueberry cakes and even blueberry ice cream,” Deas said. “We’ll have blueberry coffee.”

An ambulance, fire truck and police car will be on display. Other offerings will include a large lawn sale, arts and crafts vendors, a café and a person selling popcorn.

The church this year is celebrating its 197^th birthday. It is housed in a building dating from 1796 that has been home to a worshipping congregation since 1828, officials said.

Deas, guitarist, singer and longtime church member, recalled being asked by a church official in 1996 to perform at the blueberry festival. He became festival co-chair and has been involved in the popular festival ever since.

“We do it, rain or shine,” he said. “We also have the support of local Waterville and Winslow institutions and I think that is very, very important and we are very, very thankful for their support.”

Deas, who will perform music with groups at the festival, said he has tried in recent years to focus on drawing local groups to participate.

“That’s kind of elevated the role and the quality of the music over the years,” he said.

Friday’s musical lineup includes Richie Bartolo performing pop, rock and jazz at 3 p.m.; Deas, Bill Dolan, Brian Richmond, Maureen Vachon, Darren Beaudet and Dennis Rock, with pop, rock and blues at 4 p.m.; and The Cellar Dwellers, playing music from the Beatles, and classic pop and rock at 6 p.m.

On Saturday, the lineup includes Will McPherson, acoustic pop/rock at 8 a.m.; Uke ’N Be Happy, good-time ukulele, 9 a.m.; Josh Bickford, classical organ and keyboard, 10 a.m.; McPherson again at 11 a.m.; and an open jam featuring Deas, Wayne Berman, Dave Carew and Bob Steinberg & Friends at noon.