CHERRY FEST 2011
Schedule of Events, Saturday, August 6, 2011
7AM - 4PM: Bakery Booth featuring fresh baked cherry kolaches, cherry pie and ice cream and cherry sundaes. The Jacksonport Women's Club will also be making and serving fresh "hot on the spot" funnel cakes. A variety of cherry jams, cherry pie filling and other cherry products for sale to benefit the JHS at a booth nearby.
Juried Arts & Crafts Fair featuring talented artists and craftsmen from the Midwest. Many of your favorite artists from past years will return for this renowned show as well as many amazing first timers.
Fresh cherries from the orchard of Peter Stoffel.
Historical Review Booth – Sponsored by the JHS. Booth will feature Jacksonport Family memorabilia on display and the Society's 9 books for sale – Jacksonport Through the
Generations. The Root Cellar in the Erskine Rest Area will be open to the public. Take a step back in time and visit the restored Root Cellar located next to the Historical Booth. Four historical vehicles will be on display throughout the park.
Pioneer Living pre 1840's with tepee and live demonstrations by Joe Jeanquart and Randy Alexander including blacksmithing, fire starting, cooking and leather work in the Erskine Rest Area.
10:00AM - ?: Sandy De Master, a local resident, will demonstrate the fine art of spinning wool.
10:00AM: Lunch Booth opens: Cherry Hamburgers and Cherry Brats along with a variety of cold beverages will be provided by Door County Custom Meats owned by Keith and Jaci Birnschein.
11:00AM - 3:00PM: Mayberry's Horse Drawn Wagon Rides – ongoing from Lakeside Park on Park Road.
10:00AM - 1:00PM: Music by Matt Wahl, popular folk singer and songwriter.
12:30PM: Registration for the Penny Hunt on the beach for the younger set.
1:00PM: Penny Hunt on the beach for ages 3-5 and 6-8.
1:00PM - 4:00PM: Modern Day Drifters local group featuring country music.
All musical performances will take place in the Big Tent. Picnic table seating around the tent will be available. Bring your folding chairs or blanket for additional seating. Performance times may vary slightly.
1941 Ford Pickup Truck on display
at 2011 Cherry Fest
2011 Cherry Fest Recap
Another Great year for Cherry Fest
On August 6,2011 the Jacksonport Historical Society, Inc. once again celebrated the cherry harvest at Lakeside Park in Jacksonport with the 17th annual Cherry Fest. The day started out cloudy but soon the large crowds of happy folks came to listen to music and shop the many artists displaying their hand crafted items. To start the day fresh baked kolaches and coffee were available. The hardy volunteers had been busy since 4 am that morning baking the delicious treats. Keith and Jaci Birnschein and their crew from Door County Custom Meats arrived, fired up their grill and started serving cherry hamburgers, cherry brats, and pork sandwiches all prepared especially for us. Always delicious! In the meantime the Jacksonport Historical Society was busy opening the root cellar in the Erskine Rest Area which was restored a few years ago. Sandy De Master, and two of her friends demonstrated the fine art of spinning wool sheared from her very own sheep. Certainly a learning experience for those of us not familiar with this amazing process. As the morning progressed we heard the soft melodic sound of the guitar of Matt Wahl playing folk music as well as some of his original pieces. Matt has been playing at Cherry Fest for many years. Now that everyone had lunch they needed desert and that they found at the Jacksonport Historical Society food booth where the most delicious cherry pies, furnished by Grandma Tommy’s Market, were available to purchase. Along with the pie, they had coffee, cherry ice cream, cherry sundaes, and a cherry drink to wash it all down. The Jacksonport Women’s Club provided delicious funnel cakes. A variety of jams and jellies were also sold at a nearby booth. On the beautiful sand beach that Lakeside Park is known for, was a penny hunt. Fun for kids and adults alike as the kids searched the sand to see who could collect the most pennies. Then a change in music as the Modern Day Drifters began their 3 hour set. So for another year Cherry Fest was a successful fund raising event for the Jacksonport Historical Society, Inc. The money that is raised at this event goes to help develop the museum property located on the south end of Jacksonport. So in 2012 Cherry Fest will be Saturday, August 4 at Lakeside Park. A fun time will be had by all and will make it possible for the Jacksonport Historical Society to be “keepers of the past” for all future generations.
In 1935, Claire Acker was named Door County's National Cherry Pie Baker and was chosen to deliver cherries to President Roosevelt on his tour of Northeastern Wisconsin. Claire is the granddaughter of Margaret Butler Higgins, whose family arrived in Jacksonport in 1874. A 1935 picture of Claire is on display each year at the cherry jam and pie filling booth at Cherry Fest. In 2011, Claire Acker Radi herself was there to see it. Now 95 and a resident of San Antonio, Texas, Claire included Cherry Fest in her August visit to Door County with her children and grandchildren.