Jackie Cripe retires as cherry festival chair
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Jackie Cripe, co-owner of Jackie M’s Footwear, will step down as chairman of the Flathead Cherry Festival after this year’s event, and it’s making many Polson Business Community people nervous. The PBC is an organization dedicated to promoting and beautifying downtown Polson.
PBC President Ken Avison said no one has any concept of all the details Cripe handles for the Flathead Cherry Festival.
“She continues to amaze me. We should be in awe of what she does,” Avison said, adding that the PBC appreciates all Cripe’s hard work and her generous spirit.
Cripe said it’s been a fun ride, but she has chaired 13 Flathead Cherry Festivals and she plans to slow down a bit.
“Maybe it’s time for some new ideas,” Cripe said.
Cripe is already smoothing the way for the 2012 Flathead Cherry Festival. With meticulous notes “from day one,” she asked the PBC for a committee of seven people — to handle advertising, to deal with vendors, as well as folks to deal with set up and clean up, etc.
“I told them ‘It’ll take seven of you to replace me.’” Cripe said, laughing.
While she’s laughing, Avison said it’s true.
“She’s chaired all the Flathead Cherry Festivals,” Avison said, dealing with “everything from garbage cans to porta potties.”
With last year’s attendance at the Cherry Festival estimated at 8,000 folks over a two-day period, it is easy to see why people are concerned.
“She works quietly and behind the scenes,” Avison explained.
Beginning in January, Cripe starts booking vendors.
“The number of phone calls is incredible,” Avison said, shaking his head.
There are 125 vendors on an annual basis. After they call and send in their money, then Cripe plots where they will set up shop. That’s not easy either, Avison said, since she makes sure vendors selling the same wares aren’t close to each other.
Cripe also orders the food and sets up the schedule for the PBC hamburger wagon and lemonade stands, both fundraiser for the group, as well as masterminding the cherry-spitting contest and the pie-eating contest.
Cripe works closely with the Flathead Cherry Growers Association in promoting Flathead cherries. In return the FCGA helps pay the insurance for the cherry festival.
The $17,000 spent on advertising the Flathead Cherry Festival is “a huge deal,” Avison explained, since it spreads the word about Flathead cherries and about Polson.
Cripe said three TV crews will be taping during the Flathead Cherry Festival with one group from Spokane recording things to do all over Polson. The tape will be shown in Canada and northwest Washington to raise awareness of Polson and the local agriculture community.
Cripe is going out with a bang, too. This cherry festival will be a humdinger, she promises.
Urging local residents to attend the Flathead Cherry Festival, Cripe said, “Our biggest new thing will be the street dance.”
A variety of vendors from New York, Arizona, Florida, Utah and Washington as well as Montana vendors will have interesting products, and there will be lots of things for kids to do, Cripe added.
“It’s the first year we’ve had pet frogs for sale,” Cripe said, laughing.
The Flathead Cherry Festival hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 16 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 17. Southern Comfort will play for the street dance in front of The Cove from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 16.
