Art, food and cherries converge at Flathead Cherry Festival
Lindell chases after her cherry pit while the eventual winner, Ava, solemnly prepares for her winning spit of two feet in the 5 and under category of the 2023 Pit-Spitting Contest. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)
Lapin, Sweetheart, Rainier, Bing, Stella, Lambert and Skeena: The annual Flathead Cherry Festival celebrates local varieties of the juicy red fruit, as well as summer in Polson.
A curated selection of local and regional artists and vendors fill downtown blocks this weekend with their wares, including fresh cherries and baked treats, while the food court offers an array of edible options.
The festival is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, July 26, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, July 27. Activities include a pancake breakfast, served from 7-10 a.m. Saturday at the Elks Lodge; a sidewalk chalk art contest, noon-4 p.m.; and the ever-popular cherry pit-spitting contest at 2 p.m.
Sunday brings the Foodie Competition at 1 p.m. under the Food Court tent. Contestants enter prized baked or cooked recipes while a panel of four judges samples and selects the best in categories of Pie, Sweet, Savory and Commercial. Entries, which must be made from scratch using an original recipe and include cherries, are judged on the basis of Originality and Creativity, Texture and Color, Flavor Profiles, and Presentation.
Winners in each category will receive a prize package worth more than $100 from participating local businesses.
The festival is sponsored by the Polson Chamber of Commerce and presented by HandMADE Montana; learn more at handmademontana.com/pages/flathead-cherry-festival.