The National Cherry Festival is a food festival held every year in Traverse City, Michigan, United States. The eight-day event celebrates cherry farming in the Grand Traverse Bay area around Traverse City, which is called the "Cherry Capital of the World."
The festival began in 1925 as the "Blessing of the Blossoms Festival." In 1931, the Michigan Legislature changed its name to the National Cherry Festival. Since then, the festival has been held almost every year, except from 1942 to 1947 and in 2020.
The festival includes a marching band called the Second Time Arounders. People can join the band if they know how to play a musical instrument used in a marching band. The band has five practice sessions and three show days in late June and early July. The festival also holds concerts at Open Space Park.
The National Cherry Festival offers many activities. One popular event is the air show, which is free to attend. The air show includes groups such as the United States Navy Blue Angels, the A-10C Thunderbolt II Demo Team, the US Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, and the Michigan Army National Guard. Visitors can meet pilots and see the planes used by the US Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City. The air show is played live on the radio station 107.5 WCCW.
The National Cherry Festival honors people who have helped the cherry industry through awards called Very Cherry Awards. The Cherry Industry Person/Couple Award is given to those who have made important contributions to the cherry industry through leadership. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to people who have worked in the cherry farming industry or related fields for many years. The Very Cherry Promotion Award is given to businesses and individuals who strongly support the cherry industry.
History
In 1839, Reverend Peter Dougherty, a Presbyterian missionary, started a Native American mission at present-day Old Mission, near the tip of the Old Mission Peninsula. In 1852, Dougherty planted the first cherry trees, which grew well, surprising locals who then began planting trees themselves. The first commercial cherry orchard was started in 1893. By the beginning of the 20th century, much of the Lake Michigan shoreline, especially the area around Traverse City, had become the center of a well-established cherry-growing industry.
The first festival was held in May 1925 and was called the Blessing of the Blossoms. The first cherry queen was Gertrude Brown. In 1931, the Michigan Legislature changed the festival’s name to the National Cherry Festival and moved it to July. The festival was canceled from 1942 to 1946 because of World War II and again in 1947, as Traverse City celebrated its centennial. In 1964, the festival was extended from three days to five, and in 1968, it 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.
On July 25, 1987, Cherry Festival participants set a record in the Guinness Book of World Records by baking the world’s largest cherry pie. The pie was 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m) in diameter and weighed 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) and 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter was baked and eaten by about 1,500 people in Oliver, British Columbia.
In 2021, the festival gained national attention when a Magic Carpet ride at the festival’s midway didn’t work properly on July 8 and began to lean and sway. Bystanders rushed to the ride and held it down by its guardrails until it stopped. No serious injuries were reported, and the ride was taken apart shortly after.
In 2020, Festival officials announced on Thursday, April 16, 2020, that the 90th National Cherry Festival would be postponed until the following year. This delay was because of health concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival restarted in 2021.