St. Mark’s Anglican Church, at 41 Byron Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake is hosting its famous cherry festival this Saturday, July 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“First and foremost,” says festival co-chair, Greg Walker, “it is everything cherries.”
“It’s no surprise that the cherry still stands supreme at this year’s festivities. There will be fresh cherries, and Diane Turner’s team has made almost 750 rich and juicy cherry pies, cherry jam, and cherry juice for ice cream floats.
“If you want a cherry pie, come early because they sell out fast.”
Walker describes a host of other reasons to join in the fun:
- An all-day barbeque under the direction of Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa.
- The Bake Shop, featuring a cornucopia of homemade baked goods and coffee
- Jewelry Booth
- Books and CDs and DVDs, gathered under the churchyard trees,
- The sights and sounds of the Fort George Fyfe and Drum Regiment at 12 noon.
And new this year:
- The Haute Emporium, with designer clothing, handbags and accessories, antiques, and artwork
- Free concerts: Acclaimed soloist, Melissa-Marie Shriner will join St. Mark’s music director Jim Bourne in presenting two concerts in the church — Sweet Songs of Summer — at 11a.m. and 1p.m.
- Save Niagara, Plant a Tree Sale, offering a wide variety of inexpensive tree saplings to enhance your properties and help in the fight against climate change.
- Dinners by Gary, an array of frozen, ready-to-cook dinner items, prepared in the St. Mark’s kitchen by Coun. Gary Burroughs and his team.
“The Cherry Festival is important both to St. Mark’s and the community,” says Walker. “Over the years—as early as 1899, people from as far away as Toronto would come to the town’s fruit festivals. It carries on a wonderful tradition.”
