CHERRY SHOW GOES ON DESPITE LATE HARVEST.

Byline: CHARLES F. BOSTWICK Staff Writer

LEONA VALLEY -- Leona Valley's cherry crop, which draws fruit lovers from all over Southern California and even from Japan and Europe, is ripening later than usual.

Rain and cool weather in March and April delayed the cherry blossoms and pushed back the ripening until about mid-June -- though the town's traditional Cherry Parade and Festival will go on June 10 as scheduled.

``All the cherry orchards in the valley are in the same boat due to weather. We're all waiting for our cherries to ripen and we won't open until they are ripe,'' said Leona Valley Cherry Growers Association President Jennifer Beeler.

The parade will start at 11 a.m. on June 10 along Leona Avenue south of Elizabeth Lake Road. The festival begins after the parade and goes until 4 p.m. at the community center on Elizabeth Lake Road, featuring a barbecue, vendors and handicraft sales.

Orchards' opening dates will be reported on the growers association telephone hotline at [phone].

The smaller orchards get picked out early while the larger orchards stay open longer, Beeler said. Cherries ripen sooner at the orchards off the valley floor.

Blessed with an altitude and climate suited for cherries, the valley has more than 20 ``U-pick'' sweet cherry ranches and one sour cherry ranch where visitors can enjoy the country atmosphere and pick the fruit themselves.

Beeler runs the valley's oldest orchard, whose oldest trees were planted in 1959.