TRAVERSE CITY -- Volunteering for the National Cherry Festival is a family affair for Herb Lemcool.
He and his wife, Barbara, went on their first date during festival week, and now his children and grandchildren proudly don the red shirts and hats, and regularly hold leadership positions over various festival activities.
For the past 38 years, Lemcool offered his services in many ways to benefit the festival, but it's events for children he most enjoys. His uncle, Carl Lemcool, introduced Herb to volunteering for the kid's parade, and he eventually chaired the event for 12 years.
"Then my wife Barbara, who is also on the Board of Governors, chaired the parade for eight years, my son, Ron, took over for five years after that, there was a three-year gap, and now my grandson, Nick, is chairing it this year," Herb Lemcool said.
Lemcool said his grandson has worked the parade since he was 8 years old. But Nick also turned to his grandfather for help, and Herb agreed to lend a hand.
He'll serve as assistant director this year. And he never tires of the people who visit Traverse City during festival week.
"I love seeing the kids getting into their costumes and lining up, and their parents all caught up in the excitement of their children being part of the parade," he said.
He also cherishes the lasting relationships he and his family have built through volunteerism.
"This is a great opportunity to bring this family of volunteers together," he said. "Whenever anyone volunteers for the first time they always say to me, 'I didn't know this was so much fun.'"
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