Published: July 02, 2009 07:22 am      

Expect sun and 70s for Cherry Festival

TRAVERSE CITY -- Claudine Fall was sent to Michigan with specific instructions: Bring back cherries.

She knows the drill. The California resident visited the National Cherry Festival four times over the past six years.

"My (local) friends take care of me, they feed me so I have my fill of cherries before I go home," Fall said. "And my California friends have trained me to bring back the prized cherries by the case."

Weather can't stand in the way of such important work, and it doesn't appear that will be a problem during July 4-11 event.

"It looks like it's going to be a pretty good week, weather-wise," said Jim Keysor, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord. "It looks generally dry for most of the week."

Not so in the days leading up to the festival. Recent rainy days plagued Cherry Festival employees and volunteers, who each year transform the Open Space into cherry central over a five-day span.

"The rain has left problems that we have to fix," said Tim Hinkley, Festival executive director. "But from what everyone is telling me, we're pretty much on schedule. And it looks like it's going to start giving us a break ... ."

That break will come just in time for vendors to roll in and workers to complete some finishing touches prior to a holiday weekend filled with cherries and fireworks.

Saturday is expected to be partly sunny with a slight chance of an isolated afternoon or evening shower. Overall, the evening fireworks forecast is for clear, cool weather.

"Sunday, not a whole lot of change," Keysor said. "A tad warmer, mid-70s. It's really shaping up to be a pretty good weekend."

Hinkley is optimistic about his inaugural stint at the Cherry Festival helm, following months of planning and a soggy setup.

Temperatures next week are predicted to remain steady in the mid-70s, and the second half of the week will see more sunshine. Humidity will remain low during the festival's eight-day stretch.

"Weather doesn't bother me," said Fall, who plans to visit the State Theatre for a movie and who also enjoys festival staples such as the air dog competition and cherry pit-spit.