A World Record, A Presidential Visit, and 100 Years Of Cherries

The National Cherry Festival has been around four times longer than the average lifespan of a Montmorency cherry tree.

The annual eight-day Traverse City event kicking off today (July 4) celebrates its 100th anniversary. Over the years, the celebration has treated festivalgoers to air shows, a world record, a slew of musical performers, and presidential visits, to name a few highlights.

“We have an amazing history timeline on our website, which is what I revert to often, to show me what we did and where we come from,” says Cherry Festival Executive Director Kat Paye. “Because, obviously, I am not 100 years old myself, and I was not here for the first ones.”

Paye says the National Cherry Festival’s historic timeline starts with a debate over when the Festival officially started—1925 or 1926? Since the 75th anniversary was celebrated 25 years ago, organizers deemed this year as the 100th.

“I'm not going to change timelines,” says Paye. “That was before my time. We are honoring tradition with this, because previous historical markers were made and happened that we’ve continued on.”

The Early Years
The first National Cherry Queen was Gertrude Brown crowned in 1925, while the Blessing of the Blossoms Festival officially started on May 25, 1925, but dates back as early as 1909.

In 1926, the one-day National Cherry Festival officially started. By 1968, the Festival grew to an eight-day celebration that it is today.

The Air Show Tradition
In 1978, the Cherry Festival officially hosted its first big air show by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. However, festivalgoers’ love affair for the skies started much earlier.

“We’ve recently looked at all of our history and learned that there were some planes that were flying far earlier than 1978,” says Paye.

In 1931, high winds from a severe thunderstorm blew the Goodyear blimp Puritan into its mooring mast during the Cherry Festival. No one was reported hurt.

A highlight of the 1948 Festival was a U.S. Army anti-aircraft searchlight demonstration at night. The massive 800-million candlepower beam lit up the sky over Grand Traverse Bay, locking onto an airplane flying 20,000 feet overhead as amazed spectators watched the pilot attempt daring evasive maneuvers.

It was also reported that festivalgoers cheered on an exciting Coast Guard rescue demonstration in the bay. Two guardsmen in a rubber raft signaled their location using flares and dye markers before being swiftly rescued by a Coast Guard floatplane in a dramatic display that captivated the crowd, Paye tells us.

The Cherry Record
In 1987, Traverse City set a Guinness World Record for the largest cherry pie baked for 35,000 festivalgoers. The pie weighed 28,350 pounds and was 17 feet, 6 inches in diameter.

The TC pie bested a pie baked in Charlevoix, which held the record since 1976. Traverse City held the record until 1990 until a larger pie was baked in Oliver, British Columbia.

Today, the massive Traverse City pie tin is on display outside the Sara Lee Bakery on Cass Street.

The Presidents
The Cherry Festival has had two presidential visits during its history. In 1930, Cherry Queen Signe Holmer flew to Washington, DC, to meet President Herbert Hoover and present him an eighty-pound cherry pie and extend an invitation to the Cherry Festival. He later would attend the opening ceremony.

In 1975, President Gerald Ford served as the Grand Marshal for The Cherry Royale Parade, which broke the all-time record with 180 entries and was attended by more than 300,000 people.

“President Biden was here, but did not attend the festival,” says Paye. “But he was here during the festival, which made travel questionable. All day we were like are we shutting down, or are we not? We were working with Secret Service for many days trying to determine if they were coming or if they were not.”

The Darker Years
The festival hasn't always been a bowl of cherries. In 1942-47, there were no cherry celebrations due to World War II.

“I think a lot of it had to do with the idea that it was not really a time for that kind of celebration,” Paye says. “Part of it is just that there were needs elsewhere.”

In 2020, the Cherry Festival was scaled back and readjusted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The celebration consisted mostly of virtual activities and social distancing events, like the porch parade and Festival in a Box.

“We did a great job of trying to keep the spirit of family, free, fun events alive, while we couldn’t be all together,” Paye says. “We still continued as if those years counted towards the 100, because in 1942 to 47 they counted those years.”

Favorite Memories
Garrett Boursaw handles logistics for the festival, and his involvement dates back more than 30 years. Looking back, he says it is the little things that stick out the most in his memories.

“It’s a lot of small, little memories that you just look back and kind of smile and laugh,” he says. “Funny stuff that’s happened that just puts a smile on my face.”

In 1995, Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band performed at the Cherry Festival, but Boursaw remembers being 12 years old as the Old Mission Elementary Prince in the Cherry Festival Parade.

“I remember when I was the prince, we had a huge storm,” says the sixth-generation Old Mission Peninsula native. “Going down the parade route when the kids parade was during the day—it was like 100 degrees.”

Another memory Boursaw recalls is the record-breaking longest cherry ice cream sundae served at the Open Space in 2001. The 320-feet ice cream treat was gone in 20 minutes. The following year it was extended to 500 feet long.

The 100-Year Timeline
1925: First National Cherry Queen Gertrude Brown
1925: The first blessing of the blossoms
1926: National Cherry Festival officially founded
1929: The Festival grew from 1 to 2 days
1932: The City Commission of Traverse City proclaimed that only cherry desserts could be eaten during the festival. Anyone caught with strawberry shortcake or lemon meringue pie was subject to a $100 fine or 30 days in jail.
1942-47: No Cherry Festivals due to World War II
1947: Traverse City celebrates centennial
1962: The special Parade of Marching Bands starts, later becoming the Cherryland Band Classic
1964: Cherry Festival expands to a five-day celebration. The week of July 6 is proclaimed as “National Cherry Festival Week.”
1968: The festival grows from 5 to 8 days
1970: Kchi Wiikwedong Anishinaabek Pow Wow starts as a parade
1975: President Gerald Ford is Grand Marshal for The Cherry Royale Parade
1977: The ambassador program grows from 50 to 550 by 1979. Today there are more than 2,000 ambassadors.
1978: Thunderbirds first visit
1980: First recipient of the Industry Person of the year award goes to Charles Kesner of Suttons Bay for his work as the director of the MSU Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station.
1987: Traverse City sets world record by baking world’s largest cherry pie
1988: U.S. Navy Blue Angels first visit
1989: Pin Program starts “Go for the Gold”
1990s: The National Cherry Festival Bayside Beach Volleyball Tournament begins
2004: The American Amateur Sports Organization International World Cup Beach Volleyball Competition is held
2014: Mascot official debut: Super Cherry
2020: Virtual events held only due to the pandemic
2021: Condensed Cherry Festival, no air show.
2026: First drone show