Blackberry pie ala mode. Are there four sweeter words? And what could be better than a two-day festival devoted to the luscious dark fruit? How about a three-day festival?

The annual Bremerton Blackberry Festival on the boardwalk has been expanded from two days to three, and will run from 10 a.m. Sept. 2 through 6 p.m. Sept. 4.

Carol Atkinson, executive director of the sponsoring Bremerton Main Stream Association, said vendors had been asking for three days instead of two for years. The added expense of another day was an issue, but the association is covering it by increasing vendor fees.

“I think it’s going to be great,” Atkinson said. “It will give us a little more breathing room.” In past years the festival was barely set up before it had to be torn down.

The extra day has one organization scrambling to lay in a larger supply of blackberry pie, a festival mainstay.

Historically the Bremerton Kiwanis Club sold upwards of 750 pies in just two days, at seven slices per pie.

This year, they’ve placed an order for 900 pies from Morningside Bread and Pastry Company in Port Orchard.

Club president Don Vanlue said they hope that number of pies will cover the extra day, and they will also be serving six slices per pie instead of seven, because the pies are a little smaller. The price is still $2.50 per slice. Another 50 cents will get you a scoop of ice cream on top.

The pie sale is the club’s major annual fund raiser, netting approximately $7,000 in past years. Money raised goes to the projects fund, which is distributed to local community groups including the Boy and Girl Scouts, and for local scholarships.

Vanlue, who like the other Kiwanians puts in 12 to 13 hour days at the pie booth each day of the festival, said the only complaint they get is that the “lines get too long.”

If the blackberry pie line is too long, there’s always the popular blackberry “slugs” churned out by the members of the Bremerton Central Lions Club.

The slugs are actually donut bars with a blackberry filling and whipped cream. One Lion suggested starting the day with a blackberry slug, then finishing off the day with a slice of pie before heading home.

The boardwalk will also be groaning with blackberry scones, shortcake, sodas, ice cream and sundaes. And for take home there’s blackberry syrup and jam.

Vendors will also be serving non-blackberry food items, including barbecued ribs, corn on the cob, teriyaki chicken, crepes, elk or buffalo burgers and reindeer sausage.

Atkinson said there will be 130 vendors on the boardwalk, all of them carefully selected to avoid duplication.

“We make sure all the booths are unique,” she said. There are handcrafted as well as commercial items and merchants advertising their businesses.

Music is also a central part of the festival, with a main stage set up on the boardwalk featuring performances continuously throughout the festival, as well as a children’s stage to entertain the younger set.

Performers range from local bands such as Trombanga to national recording artist and festival favorite, Scott Cossu.

Due to ongoing construction on the waterfront, the children’s stage this year will be set up on Second Street between Washington and Pacific. There will be a range of activities for children, and performers include Cowboy Buck and Elizabeth, Alley Oop and magician Kevin Wolfe.

Also happening at the festival are the Berry Fun Run, the Blackberry Criterium Bike Race and a chalk art contest.

The Bremerton National Airport is the site of the annual Blackberry Festival Fly-In on Sept. 2, with aircraft and classic cars on display from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and a jazz concert with dot.Swing from noon to 2 p.m. at the Airport Diner.

The Experimental Aircraft Association is giving free airplane rides to youths age 8-17, on a first-come first-served basis.

There will be a Kitsap Transit bus shuttle between the airport and the Blackberry Festival site.

More information about the festival can be found at www.blackberryfestival.org. The festival is free, not counting how much blackberry pie you can put away.