Flathead Cherry Festival packs Polson’s Main Street
Summer Goddard
Summer Goddard
Samples of locally grown Sweet Red and Rainier cherries were available for customers at a vendor booth.
Summer Goddard
Sisters Tyra and Iyla Estvold of Missoula cool off in one of the water misters set up along Main Street.
Summer Goddard
Local artists provided live music for festival goers.
Summer Goddard
Summer Goddard
Summer Goddard
A variety of handcrafted items, including these “Forest Biddies” from Mother Felt It were sold by Main Street vendors during last weekend’s Flathead Cherry Festival.
Summer Goddard
Summer Goddard
Summer Goddard
Summer Goddard
Summer Goddard
Summer Goddard
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POLSON — The Flathead Cheery Festival returned to downtown Polson last week to bring everyone out for one of the biggest events of the summer.
Held for over 20 years, this year’s festival dedicated Main Street to hand crafted goods and cherry products brought in by members of the community. Put on this year in cooperation between the Polson Business Community and the Polson Chamber of Commerce, organizer CarolLynn Lapotka said a quarter of all the vendors were new to the event. While some people were concerned this year’s early harvest might interfere with the festivities, Lapotka was happy to report this was not the case. There were plenty of cherries to go around.
Event organizers obtained a special Tourism Events Grant from the Department of Tourism for this year’s festival. Grant funds helped offset promotion costs, allowing organizers the financial freedom to try to draw in as many people as possible.
While Main Street was lined with crafts and cherries, Fourth Avenue was filled with commercial and nonprofit vendors sharing their achievements. For the first time, Third Avenue accommodated two additional food courts with 16 different vendors, many offering special cherry-themed confections to celebrate the occasion. Between confections, contests, and attractive summer weather, there was something for all ages.
“It’s always really heartwarming to see the response of the local community, people visiting and people scheduling their vacations to go to the cherry festival,” Lapotka commented. “People really come out and support it, I’m grateful for that.”
To see the winners of the festival contests when they’re announced, visit: https://www.facebook.com/flatheadcherryfestival
