Cheery Cherry Festival Coming in Bruno

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

The third annual Cherry Festival in Bruno, August 11 to 13, will combine all things cherry with literary, educational and social pursuits. Marilyn Jonas, chair of the Carlton Trail Agricultural Society (which helps organize the festival) says there are a lot of new features this year.

"The festival starts out with a warm-up night on Friday, August 11, with the Literary Cherry Book Club," says Jonas. "We have a book club in town and they wanted to know what they could contribute, so they have organized a supper and an author discussion."

The supper costs $20 to attend and is followed by a discussion of the book What I'm Trying to Say is Goodbye, by Lois Simmie. Simmie will be there for the open discussion, which happens in conjunction with the Cherry Cheesecake Café. The café serves home-baked New-York-style cheesecake, with, of course, cherry topping. Performances of cowboy poetry throughout the festival round out the literary component.

The festival gets into full swing on Saturday, August 12, with educational seminars running from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. This year's seminars focus on fruit production and horticulture, as well as cooking and wine-making demonstrations. Local demonstrators will cook up a menu using cherries and other Saskatchewan-made products.

"This is 'real food' you would make in your own kitchen," says Jonas. "The cooks use a home-grown approach, so people can actually make these dishes themselves."

A wine-maker from Saskatoon will also be on hand to demonstrate wine-making with fruit. All these delicious dishes need fruit to get started, so there are also regular tours of the demonstration orchard, with "how to" sessions on grafting, planting and mulching.

A mini cherry trade show will also be open for both days of the festival, featuring fruit growers, educational and industry displays, and local businesses and artists. Also available is a cherry products booth, selling frozen cherries, cherry topping, and the more exotic cherry salsa and cherry vinaigrette.

Entertainment for all ages runs throughout the festival, including a children's carnival, a corn maze and wagon rides for the younger set. Older cherry enthusiasts can enjoy bingo, a licensed area, and dozens of cherry dishes to try.

Jones says one of the "can't miss" events is the ever-popular Cherry Pit Spit Challenge, in which contestants go through several run-off rounds for the honours of the farthest "pit spit."

"Those winners will take the big challenge on Sunday afternoon. It's made up of a final four, as well as celebrity spitters." Jonas is keeping the identities of the celebrity spitters a secret for the moment.

A complete schedule of events and more information about the festival is on the Internet at www.carltontrailagsociety.ca. A festival pass is $2.00 per person or $5.00 per family, and covers all events and activities, except for food and beverage purchases and the bingo tent.

For more information, contact:
Marilyn Jonas
Chair, Carlton Trail Agricultural Society
(306) 369-2824
www.carltontrailagsociety.ca