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. The festival also hosts a number of concerts at Open Space Park.[3]
The National 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.
