National Cherry Festival

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National Cherry Festival
Coast Guard City hosts National Cherry Festival 120714-G-AW789-117.jpg
National Cherry Festival parade on East Front Street in 2012
BeginsJune 29, 2024
EndsJuly 6, 2024
FrequencyAnnual
VenueOpen Space Park
Downtown Traverse City
Location(s) Traverse City, Michigan
Coordinates 44°45′56″N85°37′25″W / 44.76556°N 85.62361°W / 44.76556; -85.62361
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Years active1925–1941, 1948–2019, 2021–present
InauguratedMay 22, 1925;99 years ago (1925-05-22)
Attendance>500,000
Website www.cherryfestival.org
Tart (left) and sweet (right) cherries grown in Acme Township, just east of Traverse City. TraverseCity-MI-cherries.jpg
Tart (left) and sweet (right) cherries grown in Acme Township, just east of Traverse City.
The Blue Angels performing over West Grand Traverse Bay in 2010. Each festival features an air show, rotating each year between the Blue Angels and USAF Thunderbirds. US Navy 100703-N-0092J-198 Pilots assigned to the U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, perform the low break cross maneuver during the National Cherry Festival Air Show.jpg
The Blue Angels performing over West Grand Traverse Bay in 2010. Each festival features an air show, rotating each year between the Blue Angels and USAF Thunderbirds.

The National Cherry Festival is a food festival held annually in Traverse City, Michigan, United States. The eight-day festival celebrates cherry production in the Grand Traverse Bay region surrounding Traverse City, which is nicknamed the "Cherry Capital of the World". [1]

Contents

The festival was inaugurated in 1925 as the "Blessing of the Blossoms Festival". [2] Since being renamed to the National Cherry Festival by the Michigan Legislature in 1931, the festival has been held nearly every year since, with cancellations from 1942 to 1947 and in 2020.

The festival also has a marching band, known as the Second Time Arounders that the public can join as long as they know a marching band instrument. The band has five rehearsals, and three performance days, that usually happen late June and early July. They usually hold concerts every year as well. In 2024, they are having two concerts, one of them being a performance by Weird Al Yankovic. [3]

The Traverse City Cherry Festival provides many activities, one of the larger attractions being the air show. At no cost, the air show includes, but is not limited to the United States Navy Blue Angels, A-10C Thunderbolt II Demo Team, the US Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, and the Michigan Army National Guard. The United States Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City also offers an opportunity to meet the pilots and see the aircraft that are flown. To listen to the air show and the announcers live, listen to the 107.5 WCCW radio station where it is broadcast live. [4]

The National Cherry Festival gives awards to a variety of people based on their contributions to the cherry industry called Very Cherry Awards. The Cherry Industry Person/Couple Award recognizes those who've made substantial contributions to the cherry industry through leadership. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes those who have spent many years in the cherry farming industry and related fields. The Very Cherry Promotion Award recognizes businesses and individuals who heavily promote the cherry industry as a whole. [5]

History

Traverse City cherries

In 1839, Revered Peter Dougherty, a Presbyterian missionary, established a Native American mission at present-day Old Mission, near the tip of the Old Mission Peninsula. [6] In 1852, Dougherty planted the first cherry trees, which flourished, much to the surprise of locals, who began to plant trees themselves. The first commercial cherry orchard was established in 1893. By the beginning of the 20th century, much of the Lake Michigan shoreline, especially the area surrounding Traverse City, was the center of a well-established cherry-growing industry. [7]

Festival history

The very first festival was held in May 1925, and was known as the Blessing of the Blossoms. The first cherry queen was Gertrude Brown. [8] In 1931, the Michigan Legislature renamed the festival to the National Cherry Festival, and moved to July. [9] The festival was cancelled from 1942 to 1946 due to World War II, and again in 1947, as Traverse City instead celebrated its centennial. [10] In 1964, the festival was extended from three days to five, and in 1968, was extended to eight days. In 1975, President Gerald Ford, a Michigan native, attended the festival, and led the Cherry Royale Parade as Grand Marshal. [11]

On July 25, 1987, Cherry Festival participants earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for baking the world's largest cherry pie. The pie was 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m) in diameter, weighing 28,350 pounds. This replaced the pie baked nine years earlier in Charlevoix, Michigan. This record was held until July 14, 1990, when a pie weighing 37,740 lb 10 oz (17,118.9 kg), 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter was baked and eaten by approximately 1500 people in Oliver, British Columbia. [12]

In 2021, the festival garnered national attention when on July 8, a Magic Carpet ride at the festival's midway malfunctioned and began to lean and sway. Bystanders rushed to the ride and held it down by its guardrails until the ride came to a stop. No serious injuries were reported, and shortly after, the ride was dismantled. [13] [14] [15]

2020 postponement

In 2020, Festival Officials announced on Thursday, April 16, 2020, that the 90th National Cherry Festival was to be postponed until the following year. [16] This postponement was in light of global health concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival restarted in 2021.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "History of Cherries". www.cherryfestival.org. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Festival History". www.cherryfestival.org. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  3. ↑ "National Cherry Festival Marching Band". www.cherryfestival.org. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  4. ↑ "National Cherry Festival Airshow". www.cherryfestival.org. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Very Cherry Awards". www.cherryfestival.org. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  6. ↑ Norton, Mike (April 15, 2014). "Exploring the Past in Historic Traverse City". Pure Michigan.
  7. ↑ "History of Cherries". www.cherryfestival.org. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Past Cherry Queens". National Cherry Festival. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  9. ↑ "History of the Traverse City National Cherry Festival". MyNorth.com. July 1, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Festival History". www.cherryfestival.org. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Fun Facts". National Cherry Festival. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  12. ↑ "A Piece of the Pie". Northern Express. July 2, 2015.
  13. ↑ Mcwhirter, Sheri (July 9, 2021). "Carnival ride malfunction shocks festival-goers; viral videos show both terror, bystanders helping". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Thrill ride dismantled after appearing to malfunction during Michigan festival". NBC News. July 10, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  15. ↑ Cherry festival ride malfunction captured in terrifying video | CNN, July 10, 2021, retrieved July 1, 2023
  16. ↑ "National Cherry Festival COVID-19 Update". National Cherry Festival. April 16, 2020.
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