Polson festival kicks off Flathead cherry season

ROB ZOLMAN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 7 months AGO

People browse a selection of cherries at the 2022 Flathead Cherry Festival in Polson. (Lake County Leader file photo)

Participant takes aim in 2022 cherry pit-spitting contest at the Flathead Cherry Festival in Polson. (Lake County Leader file photo)

Cherries hang from a crane in downtown Polson during the Flathead Cherry Festival on Saturday. (Rob Zolman/Lake County Leader)

Participants in the cherry pit spitting contest at the Flathead Cherry Festival in Polson on Saturday. (Rob Zolman/Lake County Leader)

POLSON – Thousands filled the downtown streets of Polson last weekend during the Flathead Cherry Festival hosted by the Polson Business Community and Flathead Lake Growers, Inc.

The two-day event featured family-friendly activities and summertime fun while celebrating the Flathead Cherry industry and the beginning of the cherry harvest.

While munching on locally grown cherries, festival-goers were able to browse more than 100 vendor booths and local businesses peddling their art and wares, including everything from sunglasses to cherry pies.

It was slobber-flying action on Saturday afternoon as more than 50 youth and adult pit “spitters” entered this year’s crowd favorite event the cherry pit spitting contest.

Leo Lezhner claimed the top pit spit in the 0–5 age category with a spit of six feet six inches. Lara Duran won the 6-12 category with a pit launch of 24 feet two inches, Payton Skillicorn won the 13-17 age bracket with a distance of 24 feet five inches, while Devante Johnson picked up the adult category win with a 30 feet five inch attempt.