Cherry harvest begins

By LAURA BEHENNA

Bigfork Eagle

Cherry harvest has started a few days earlier than usual than this year, and every day more roadside stands and U-pick operations are opening along Montana Highway 35 from Bigfork to Polson. Stands are also open on the west side of Flathead Lake.

Up to four million pounds of cherries could be shipped through Flathead Lake Cherry Growers this season, according to Dale Nelson, president of the growers' association. In an average year, the association ships 2.7 to 3 million pounds.

The heat and lack of rain have made for a robust cherry crop, according to Yvette Bush and her daughter, Monica, of Jubilee Orchards south of Bigfork.

"The heat is going to make them just huge," Monica Bush, 12, said.

The Bushes' stand is situated just north of the Flathead Jackpot Casino on Highway 35. Yvette Bush said her mother-in-law purchased the lot so that the family could have their cherry stand in the same place every year. Jubilee Orchards has been in business since 1960, she said.

Flathead cherries are selling for $25 U.S. per kilogram (2.2 pounds) in Australia, Bill Staffeldt, a visitor to the Jubilee stand, said. The Helena man said he returned from a visit to Australia two weeks ago, where he saw Flathead cherries on sale. Cherries are selling at local stands for around $1.75 a pound.

The First Annual Cherry Festival will be held in Polson this Saturday, July 21, along the main downtown streets. The Polson business community is promoting the event, which will take place between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. The festival will include cherry games and contests, cherry pies, live music and more than 100 vendors offering cherry-themed arts and crafts, agricultural products, food and handcrafted items.

People driving in the cherry-growing area should watch carefully for slow-moving vehicles. This is an agricultural area and drivers need to watch for people searching for orchard driveways and trucks hauling trailers loaded with cherry bins.