LIVE from the National Cherry Festival

The National Cherry Festival marks its centennial this year, and IPR's Up North Lowdown dropped in the day before opening.

On Friday, we hosted a special live episode of the Up North Lowdown from in front of the Traverse City Visitors Center.

Trevor Tkach, president and CEO of Traverse City Tourism, said the festival is an enormous economic engine for the city's visitor season each summer.

Photo courtesy of Trevor's well-meaning colleagues

But also, "this is one of the best executed examples of agritourism. This was a partnership between the farmers and the city 100 years ago," he said. "It's become a great tradition and it's branded us as an agricultural destination. The National Cherry Festival makes us the Cherry capital of the world."

Tkach also told us about being named a Cherry Prince, representing Oak Park Elementary School back in 1984.

"I actually have the certificate in my office, hanging in the office. That's how proud I am," he said.

Growing cherries

We also heard from Jack King at King Orchards, who introduced IPR's Austin Rowlader to the Balaton cherry — a variety he thinks could one day surpass the Montmorency as the dominant product of northern Michigan. Maybe. He really likes the Montmorency.

"I just love the Montmorency tart cherry juice," he said. "Whenever I entertain I make a pitcher of cherry juice — eight ounces of concentrate, two inches of water at the bottom of the pitcher, then I top it off with soda water. ... I put a little bourbon floater on top of mine. It's so delicious."

When you hear King talk about cherries, it becomes apparent pretty quickly that he loves his job. That's not to say it's an easy one.

Cherry farming — all fruit growing, really — can be extremely difficult. Headwinds for growers include trade issues, a changing climate, and something called the spotted-wing drosophila.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters told us about efforts to control that invasive bug that torments fruit growers. He's lead sponsor of a bill that would put millions of dollars toward controlling the spotted wing drosophila.

"Time is of the essence here," Peters said. "The impact it's had to folks in the orchards is extensive."

The bill is in committee, but Peters says he's hopeful it could move by the fall. This will be Peters' last chance to get it done. He retires from the Senate at the end of this year.

Whoever takes his seat next will have a big state to represent — one where the issues of rural Michigan can feel a world apart from the concerns in population centers like metro Detroit.

"We have the second-most diverse agriculture next to California," he said. "You have to understand all these specialty crops, and the way to do that is to be in these communities and out talking to folks, and trying to find common ground."

A century of tradition

What we now know as the National Cherry Festival began as the "Blessing of the Blossoms."

"It would be farmers that gathered together and would do a blessing over the blossoms to have an abundant crop," said Kelli Kaberle Mengbier, president of the festival's board. "What started as coming together and really praying for a good crop has now turned into an eight day festival, where we're celebrating those cherries."

In 1926, President Calvin Coolidge dropped by. They baked him a three-foot-wide pie which, according to the festival's website, contained 5,000 cherries. Presidents Herbert Hoover and Gerald Ford also dropped in.

(Ford's motorcade was famously delayed by cows during that visit. You really should read more about that.)

A newer tradition, for obvious reasons, is the air show. The most noticeable part of it comes from military jets that perform high above the waters of West Grand Traverse Bay.

But civilian piles, like Michael Goulian of Goulian Aerosports, also perform and make their planes seem to dance across the sky.

"It's one thing to learn to fly aerobatics, then you do it in a competition, then you do it in an air show," he said. "It's a whole different level to be able to communicate something to the audience in your plane. ... You can feel that."

Goulian has performed at the National Cherry Festival for many years. He flies a single-engine Extra 300SC aircraft.

"It's about five times stronger than any airliner," he said. "It can pull plus and minus 10 Gs. If you weigh 100 pounds and you pull 10 Gs, you weigh 1,000 pounds in the plane."

Goulian does about 15 shows a year, but this is one of his favorites. And he's not just saying that.

"When you fly in ... it feels like you're in the Bahamas with the turquoise water," he said. "As a backdrop to fly, there's none better."

Special thanks to Traverse City Tourism, especially Mallory Harrell and Nick Nerbonne, for hosting us at their visitor center!

Producer: Austin Rowlader
Field director: Alexandra Herryman
Board operator: Ellie Katz
Editor: Steve Junker
Music: Blue Dot Sessions