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]
| National Cherry Festival | |
|---|---|
 National Cherry Festival parade on East Front Street in 2012 | |
| Begins | June 29, 2024 |
| Ends | July 6, 2024 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Venue | Open Space Park Downtown Traverse City |
| Location(s) | Traverse City, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 44°45′56″N 85°37′25″W / 44.76556°N 85.62361°W |
| Country |  United States |
| Years active | 1925–1941, 1948–2019, 2021–present |
| Inaugurated | May 22, 1925 |
| Attendance | >500,000 |
| Website | www |
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.
History
editTraverse City cherries
editIn 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.[3] 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.[4]
Festival history
editThe very first festival was held in May 1925, and was known as the Blessing of the Blossoms. The first cherry queen was Gertrude Brown.[5] In 1931, the Michigan Legislature renamed the festival to the National Cherry Festival, and moved to July.[6] The festival was cancelled from 1942 to 1946 due to World War II, and again in 1947, as Traverse City instead celebrated its centennial.[7] 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.[8]
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.[9]
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.[10][11][12]
2020 postponement
editIn 2020, Festival Officials announced on Thursday, April 16, 2020, that the 90th National Cherry Festival was to be postponed until the following year.[13] This postponement was in light of global health concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival restarted in 2021.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "History of Cherries". www.cherryfestival.org. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ "Festival History". www.cherryfestival.org. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ Norton, Mike (April 15, 2014). "Exploring the Past in Historic Traverse City". Pure Michigan.
- ^ "History of Cherries". www.cherryfestival.org. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Past Cherry Queens". National Cherry Festival. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ "History of the Traverse City National Cherry Festival". MyNorth.com. July 1, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ "Festival History". www.cherryfestival.org. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ "Fun Facts". National Cherry Festival. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ "A Piece of the Pie". Northern Express. July 2, 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Thrill ride dismantled after appearing to malfunction during Michigan festival". NBC News. July 10, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ Cherry festival ride malfunction captured in terrifying video | CNN, July 10, 2021, retrieved July 1, 2023
- ^ "National Cherry Festival COVID-19 Update". National Cherry Festival. April 16, 2020.