National Cherry Festival
Encyclopedia
The National Cherry Festival is a festival in Traverse City, Michigan
. The Original National Cherry Festival began in 1925 as the Blessing of the Blossoms Festival. This Festival was originally an event held in early May to attract tourists to Northern Michigan to view the booming cherry blossoms. In 1931 the Michigan Legislature renamed the festival the National Cherry Festival, and moved the event to the summer.
The Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula restarted this tradition in 2004 by hosting the Blossom Days Festival. The festival is a two day event with a non-denominational ceremony taking place to bless the cherry and grape blossoms for the coming growing season. The 2011 Blossom days event took place on May 14th and 15th and the Blessing of the Blossoms was performed by Bishop Bernard Hedba and took place at Chateau Chantal
.
Founded in 1925, the mission of the National Cherry Festival is to celebrate & promote cherries. It also serves to promote tourism and community involvement, and to enhance the economic, entertainment, and cultural interests of the Grand Traverse region.
Every year more than 500,000 attendees enjoy the National Cherry Festival, which is now in its 82nd year. Families can enjoy many kinds of activities from cherry pit spitting and pie eating contests, to the Grand Royale Parade in which the newly crowned Cherry Queen greets the crowds. There is also a Junior Royale parade for children.
Originally held in mid- to late July to coincide with the cherry
harvest, the Festival was moved to early July to take advantage of the July 4th weekend.
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 in 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 37740 lb (17,118.5760438 kg), 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter was baked and eaten by approximately 1500 people in Oliver, British Columbia
.
Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
. The Original National Cherry Festival began in 1925 as the Blessing of the Blossoms Festival. This Festival was originally an event held in early May to attract tourists to Northern Michigan to view the booming cherry blossoms. In 1931 the Michigan Legislature renamed the festival the National Cherry Festival, and moved the event to the summer.
The Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula restarted this tradition in 2004 by hosting the Blossom Days Festival. The festival is a two day event with a non-denominational ceremony taking place to bless the cherry and grape blossoms for the coming growing season. The 2011 Blossom days event took place on May 14th and 15th and the Blessing of the Blossoms was performed by Bishop Bernard Hedba and took place at Chateau Chantal
Chateau Chantal
Chateau Chantal is a winery located on the Old Mission Peninsula, only a few miles north of Traverse City, in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. The chateau sits atop one of the highest points on the Old Mission Peninsula and has stunning views of both East and West arms of Grand Traverse Bay. The...
.
Founded in 1925, the mission of the National Cherry Festival is to celebrate & promote cherries. It also serves to promote tourism and community involvement, and to enhance the economic, entertainment, and cultural interests of the Grand Traverse region.
Every year more than 500,000 attendees enjoy the National Cherry Festival, which is now in its 82nd year. Families can enjoy many kinds of activities from cherry pit spitting and pie eating contests, to the Grand Royale Parade in which the newly crowned Cherry Queen greets the crowds. There is also a Junior Royale parade for children.
Originally held in mid- to late July to coincide with the cherry
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
harvest, the Festival was moved to early July to take advantage of the July 4th weekend.
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 in 6 in (5.33 m) in diameter, weighing 28,350 pounds. This replaced the pie baked nine years earlier in Charlevoix, Michigan
Charlevoix, Michigan
Charlevoix is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,994. It is the county seat of Charlevoix County....
. This record was held until July 14, 1990, when a pie weighing 37740 lb (17,118.5760438 kg), 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter was baked and eaten by approximately 1500 people in Oliver, British Columbia
Oliver, British Columbia
Oliver is a community at the south end of the Okanagan Valley in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, with a population of 4370. The community of Oliver is made up of land governed by three different bodies: the Town of Oliver, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen and the...
.