When cherry stands pop up on roadsides in Northwest Montana, they mean summer is in full swing.

With the annual cherry harvest along Flathead Lake starting today, the Polson Main Street Cherry Festival helps kick off the season this weekend.

The festival is Saturday and Sunday. The annual event began more than a decade ago when Polson business owner Jackie Cripe set up the festival to celebrate the area’s unique product and promote agri-tourism.

“In the beginning, it was hard to get vendors to come,” Cripe said in a 2008 interview. “I don’t have to search anymore, they come to me.”

The idea was that the focus would be on cherries and cherry-related products, and vendors would have a unique place to sell their goods, without trying to compete against other products.

Over the years, the festival has grown considerably and has become a hit with vendors and families alike. Entering its 14th year, the festival attracts crowds of people as well as vendors from as far away as Florida and Arizona.

Past attendance has topped 8,000 people for the weekend, making it a hit with local merchants.

Event organizers said this year’s festival will feature more than 100 vendors and gift certificates for local businesses will be available in addition to cherry merchandise.

The event is sponsored by the Polson Business Community and the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers organization.

“It’s a really great event for the whole community, and area businesses really appreciate it,” said Barbara Hammons of the organizing committee. “It brings in a lot of business and is a great way to promote the town. Merchants usually have specials going on at the time.”

The festival features vendors selling anything even remotely cherry-related, including art, aprons, quilts, stained glass and more. Fresh cherries are available from a number of orchards, as well as pies and other tasty treats.

“We’re going to have from six to eight vendors selling cherries right out of the orchards,” Hammons said. “This is exciting because we don’t usually get them ripened in time for the festival, so it’s not something that happens every year.”

In addition to vendors, the festival includes a variety of contests for people of all ages, including pie-eating, pit-spitting, cooking and stem-tying contests.

Be prepared to get messy at the pie-eating contest, though. No hands are allowed, and contestants end up with faces covered with the sweet treat, making it as entertaining for spectators as it is for contestants.

Pies will also be available for purchase, provided by the Yellow Bay Ladies Auxiliary and the Montecahto Club.

Or try your tongue at the stem-tying contest and impress your friends with your speed and skill as you compete for gift certificates from area merchants.

There also will be a quilt contest. Entries must have a cherry theme and will be displayed in storefronts along Main Street in Polson. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite quilt in the People’s Choice awards.

“There’s a lot going on, and it’s definitely a family-friendly event,” Hammons said. “Jackie Cripe used to organize this herself, and we do it by committee now. There’s so much going on, we still can’t figure out how she did it herself. There’s a lot to do at the festival, and it’s a lot of fun for everyone.”

For more information, go to www.flatheadcherryfestival.com.

Reporter Melissa Walther may be reached at 758-4474 or by email at mwalther@dailyinterlake.com.