Families wrap whirlwind week at Cherry Fest

Archive: Saturday

Related Photos

(Record-Eagle/Keith King) Children take off from the starting line Friday during the National Cherry Festival Toddler Trot at F&M Park in Traverse City.
(Record-Eagle/Keith King) Weston Whittaker, left, 5, of Traverse City; and, from right, Olivia Alwine, 5, of Elkhart, Ind.; and Brandon Stein, 8, of Elkhart, Ind., make cherry pies as they participate in the Kids Make and Bake during the National Cherry Festival. The event, sponsored by the Grand Traverse Pie Company, benefits the Traverse Bay Children's Advocacy Center.
(Record-Eagle/Keith King) Bryce Young, 18 months, of Wood Haven, runs Friday during the National Cherry Festival Toddler Trot at F&M Park in Traverse City.
(Record-Eagle/Keith King) Emily Hart, left, 8, and Sonjena Hart, 5, try to form a turtle out of sand Friday during the National Cherry Festival Kids Sand Sculpture Contest at West End Beach in Traverse City.

July 14, 2012

Families wrap whirlwind week at Cherry Fest

BY JAMES RUSSELL jrussell@record-eagle.com The Record Eagle Sat Jul 14, 2012, 07:14 AM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY — It’s been a long week for Jennifer Hart and her daughters, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The girls just like to participate in everything they can for the Cherry Festival, so we try to hit everything,” Hart said as her daughters Emily, 8, and Sonjena, 5, crafted a turtle out of sand. They came out early Friday for the kids’ sand sculpting contest on West End Beach.

“We did the kids’ games, we did the petting zoo, we did the turtle races, the puppet show, arts and crafts. We’ve done everything,” Hart said. “I am exhausted. Emily said she wishes it went another week, and I said, ‘Oh no. Mom’s exhausted.’”

The 86th National Cherry Festival wraps up with the Cherry Royale parade today and fireworks tonight at 10:30. It will be another hot day in Traverse City, with temperatures climbing into the upper 80s, and a 30 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms tonight.

Fireworks over West Bay will cap a week that has been a whirlwind of tasty treats, fun activities and happy kids.

“We’ve been down here every day except Tuesday,” said Tanya Darling. Her son, Cameron, 3, was gearing up for the Toddler Trot at F&M Park on Friday morning, and her 10-month-old son Carter placed second in the Diaper Derby earlier in the day.

“We did the craft show, the air show twice, we’ve been to the stages listening to the music, and Cameron had his first go on the carnival rides this year.”

Darling said she wants her kids to have as much fun as she did when she was a child.

“I was born and raised here with the Cherry Festival, so I want my kids to be a part of it, too,” she said.

Cherry Festival Executive Director Trevor Tkach said he was getting his second wind coming into the event’s final weekend. It’s too early for exact attendance numbers, but from what he’s seen, Tkach is pleased with the turnout.

“You know the old saying, ‘don’t count the money while you’re sitting at the table’? It’s hard to give solid numbers. But from my observations, attendance has been good,” he said.

Tkach said numbers at the music events “met or exceeded” expectations — the country music night on Wednesday with Joe Diffie and Jerrod Niemann brought out a particularly large crowd of more than 3,000. The gala luncheon at Top of the Park during the air show sold out both days last weekend, and Thursday’s kids’ parade brought thousands downtown.

“People were mentioning that for the kids parade, it was very well attended. There were areas where it was four to five people deep,” Tkach said. “Normally that’s more the case with big, Cherry Royale parade, not the kids parade.”

Family friendly events are a big draw. The Diaper Derby and Toddler Trot were packed with eager parents and some less-than-eager runners. The winner of each heat was typically the one who wasn’t crying at the starting line.

Shari Hintz biked to F&M Park with her children, and Matthew, 3. She said Cherry Festival events like the Toddler Trot send a good message to kids.

“You’ve got to love this. From their perspective, they run and they get a ribbon,” Hintz said. “There’s not as much focus on who won. Every kid gets a ribbon, and every kid feels good about participating.”