Cherry Festival draws record crowds, pumps local economy

A bit beleaguered in recent years, the Cherry Festival flexed its muscle this year, showing that the event is a sustainable and vital force for the Traverse City economy. The festival drew record crowds this year, with the help of near-perfect weather, the Blue Angels and the 4th of July Friday kick-off. And local businesses report higher, if not record, sales during the week.

For more details, check out coverage in the Traverse City Record-Eagle (story and editorial). TC Business News also reported the following:

• All cherry cuisine ticketed events sold out and more than 40,000 pounds of cherry products were sold at the Open Space.
• Many Open Space vendors said they had sold more products opening weekend than they had during the entire week last year.
• Local grocers and retailers, including Tom's, Oleson's, Meijer and Sam's Club, experienced record sales. "That only happens when an event brings a large volume of people into town," said Chuck O'Connor, director of corporate partnerships.

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