National Cherry Festival!

National Cherry Festival tradition began in 1910 with the "blessing of flowers" a religious prayer ceremony for a good cherry crop.

Appeals to the gods for a bountiful crop are an old tradition that began shortly after the advent of agriculture. Similar ceremonies have been performed in many cultures since ancient times. By the early 20 century, when cherries agriculture began in earnest in the Traverse City area, got the local cherry growers together and asked their priest to bless their crops.

Over the years, several plantations were planted, and the ceremony was the cherry was more important for the region's economy. In 1925 cherry growers joined forces with Traverse City merchants create "blessing Blossoms Festival" to promote the region and the cherry business.

High School honor student Gertrude Brown beat out 72 other entrants to become the first Cherry Blossom Queen, after her name was pulled out of a hat. The festival included a parade through downtown Traverse City, which was recorded by newsreel cameras. Festival parade featured marching bands, veterans and 52 floats made of decorated trucks, cars and trucks.

Beginning in 1926, Cherry Festival Queen was selected by a referendum. Images from all 34 nominees were published in the local newspaper along with a ballot form. That same year Charlotte Thorsen won a decisive victory over the other 26 candidates with 702 votes out of more than 5,000 that were cast.

Her parade was delayed by 45 minutes because the newsreel cameras had not proved yet. One of the more unusual floats was a scene from a WW I battlefield with a wounded soldier holding a series of German helmets under a sign which said: "Who said we could not fight?"

In 1926 began the tradition of baking a large cherry pie and present it to the U.S. President. Hawkins Bakery in Traverse City baked a cake, which weighed 42 pounds, was three meters in diameter and contained more than 5,000 cherry.

The giant pie would be loaded into a car on its tilt windshield and then into a specially built wooden box in the back seat. It took three days to run the cake from Traverse City to President Coolidge's summer White House at White Pine Camp in northern New York's Adirondack Mountains, but the cake arrived none the worse for wear and President Coolidge was delighted.

Historic Festival Highlights

A late frost destroyed cherry crop in 1927, causing the festival to be canceled.

In 1928, the blessing Blossoms renamed the Michigan Cherry Festival and Michigan Governor Fred Green was on hand to crown the queen.

In 1930 the festival expanded to three days, with more parades, an air show, a boat race, entertainment, sports, and many other events. President Herbert Hoover attended the opening day ceremonies, but after being presented with his Cherry Pie, he was overheard noting that an assistant, "Give it to the poor." Hoover had reason to be in a dour mood, because the stock market had crashed just seven months earlier, and the nation was plunged into the Great Depression.

In 1931 the state legislature passed a resolution making the festival a national celebration and renamed it The National Cherry Festival. Seven U.S. Navy ships docked in Traverse City and 3 companies of sailors marched in the parade that year.

From 1933 parade featured a beer truck that dispensed beer along the parade route to celebrate the end of prohibition.

The first "Dog Show and Parade" was held in 1939 and were awarded prizes for the dogs, which were the largest, smallest, fattest, thinnest, had the biggest ears smallest ears, tail longest and shortest tail.

In 1941, "boxer Joe Louis The Brown Bomber" attended the festival and reviewed several Golden Gloves boxing matches.

During World War II era, 1942-48 Cherry Festival was suspended but it has been held every year since.

Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale horses made their first appearance in the Cherry Royale Parade in 1953.

In 1963 became the first Sandcastle tournament held on the beach at Clinch Park.

1967 festival featured a display by the U.S. Navy of a simulated atomic attack completely destroy a miniature village. After the blast, Seabees, administered first aid to victims thumbnail. A rather questionable presentation, to say the least.

The Mummer's Parade had always been a strange affair with the people dress up in wild costumes and acting out, but in 1967, the parade reached a new low in questionable taste. The "King of the Mummers' was riding at the Cherry Festival Queen's float in a crown and full-length mink coat, sitting on a toilet while smoking a cigar, and sometimes pull up his coat to expose his rear end. This stunt stop Mummer's Parade in Traverse City.

In 1970 began the celebration with a two-minute "Festival of Noise" with everyone in town to make as much noise as possible in every way possible, including car horns, beat washtub, bells and musical instruments of all kinds.

1973 featured the first "milk carton Regatta." The boats were forced to use milk cartons as their primary means of flotation. The Great Lakes Maritime Academy trains price for the most milk cartons to use 1800 on their craft. The "Bean Pot", built by Chuck's Sport Shop won the race. Darryl Nelson won the prize for the most original post-a contraption shaped like a water mill.

1975 Cherry Royale Parade was the biggest ever at 180 lines, and attended by over 300,000 people. It was chaired by President Gerald Ford, a Michigan native and former U.S. senator.

In 1978, exported U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds for the first time. Five T-38 fighters dazzled the amount collected on beaches with acrobatic art and heart-stopping maneuvers.

National Cherry Festival has continued to expand through the years and The Cherry Royale Parade has become one of the largest parades in the Midwest. In 2004, ran the 78th annual National Cherry Festival 2-9 July. The 8-day festival brought almost one million visitors and around 26 million U.S. dollars to the Grand Traverse area.

Among the many attractions were three parades, a classic car and truck show, an international Beach Volleyball World Championship competition, live music, a cherry pie eating contest, turtle races, a fishing contest, bingo, a pet show and of course, selection of a Cherry Festival Queen. There were around 150 events and activities, and more than 85 percent of them were free, including giant fireworks over West Grand Traverse Bay, which closed the festival.