BLUEBERRY LOVERS GET PIE-EYED

Young contestants got a faceful of purple; so did store owner Bob Sickles, in photo at bottom. (Photos by Peter Lindner; click to enlarge)

It was a day of the blues Saturday at Sickles Market in Little Silver, which held its annual celebration of New Jersey blueberries — and other blue produce and flowers — with a series of blueberry-pie eating contests that no doubt left an indelible mark on the memories of the contestants.

Fruity factoids: The highbush blueberry was designated as New Jersey’s state fruit in 1993, and some 38 million pounds of the juicy berries are grown here each year.