Community Corner

Final Preps Underway for Cherry Festival

This year's Beaumont Cherry Festival runs June 7 through 10.

As families throughout the Pass plan for a fun weekend at the fair, the people behind the scenes are hard a work this week to make sure the popular event goes off without a hitch.

People like Cherry Festival Vendor Director Sue Pensak are putting on the final touches after months of planning for the Beaumont Cherry Festival, which will see tens of thousands of people walk through the gates to Stewart Park, beginning Thursday June 7, through Sunday June 10.

Last year, approximately 70,000 attendees enjoyed the annual event, which began in 1918.  And that's not including the hundreds of volunteers, vendors and other workers who are out there daily.

Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Penask, who spoke to Banning-Beaumont Patch on the phone Monday in between organizing last-minute vendor issues, says she's probably put in 1,200 hours of work on the event since January-- all for free, as with everyone else involved in putting on the event.

Monday will be another 12-hour day.

Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Though she doesn't have an exact count just yet, Penask estimates that there will be roughly 250 vendors set up at the Cherry Festival-- about 200 of which will be arts and crafts and commercial vendors; and the remaining will be food and snack type vendors.

You'll be able to catch those vendors beginning Thursday at 5 p.m., when the festival officially opens.

Hours and prices are as follows: 

  • Thursday, June 7: 5 p.m.- 10 p.m.; Children & Adults 6 and up-- $3
  • Friday, June 8: 5 p.m.- Midnight; Children & Adults 6 and up-- $5
  • Saturday, June 9: 12 p.m.- Midnight; Children & Adults 6 and up-- $5
  • Sunday, June 10: 12 p.m.- 9 p.m.; Children & Adults 6 and up-- $5
  • Carnival ride wristbands: $20 Thursday, $25 Friday through Sunday

Through ticket sales, hundreds of thousands of dollars are raised at this festival each year.  Penask says that money goes right back into the community-- in the form of scholarships for local students, and to help pay for the entertainment at the following year's event.

“We put it right back into the community to pay for next year’s cherry festival,” she said.

The entertainment schedule for this year is as follows:

Thursday   June 7th
  5:00 pm   Brenton Wood         7:00 pm    Rumors - Tribute to Fleetwood Mac
 Friday
June 8th
  5:00 pm   The Basix
        8:00 pm  

Hotel California
Tribute to the Eagles

 Saturday   June 9th
  12 pm   Local Groups
        3:00 pm   Garrat Winkin and The Parrot Heads         6:00 pm    Alan Parsons Project
        9:00 pm   The Superfreaks 
 Sunday   June 10th
  12 pm   The Basix
        3:00 pm   Gold Rush Country         5:00 pm   Ronnie Milsap

To find out more about this year's festival, check out the official website here.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here