NATURE DISRUPTS CHERRY EVENT; UNUSUAL WEATHER WILL DELAY BEGINNING OF PICKING SEASON.Byline: Karen Thacker Community Columnist Local residents are ready for the upcoming Cherry Festival and Parade - if only Mother Nature and the cherries would cooperate. ``There isn't one grower who can estimate when the cherries will be ready,'' said Norm Jacobsen, president of the Cherry Growers Association. The Leona Valley Cherry Festival and Parade is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 13 to celebrate the start of cherry-picking season - which usually arrives by June 1. But cherries are only half the normal size for this time of year. ``They're a size between peas and marbles,'' Jacobsen said. ``There's no color at all - last year by this time they were three-quarter-inch size and getting a little color.'' Some 80-degree weather will cure the problem fast, though. ``The trees grow in cool weather,'' he said. ``The cherries need the warm weather.'' Between half and two-thirds of the local orchards should be open festival weekend, he predicted. ``There will be a more than adequate supply for the festival,'' he said. U-pick orchards are a key part of the attraction, but festival officials have other activities planned to keep everyone interested. Kids can enjoy fishing for prizes, a bean-bag throw and face painting. There will be live music and a cherry pie Cherry pie is a pie made with a cherry filling. Morello cherries (sour cherries) are often used in cherry pies. Cherries are expensive — and sweet varieties are best used eaten fresh and raw. Sour cherries are best for cooking and may be used fresh or preserved. eating contest around 2 p.m. ``This is really a very hometown, fun kind of day,'' said Lee Ann Bonn, one of several festival coordinators. ``It's very charming.'' Vendor booths will have only handmade crafts for sale, including pottery, tole-painted items, sculpted sculpt v. sculpt·ed, sculpt·ing, sculpts v.tr. 1. To sculpture (an object). 2. To shape, mold, or fashion especially with artistry or precision: dolls, hand-sewn items, quilts, dried flower arrangements, herbs, designed T-shirts, and ostrich feather dusters One of the most useful contributions of the Ostrich feather to industry is its use in the feather duster. Although feather dusters have been in production since the 1800s the Ostrich Feather Duster was not invented until the beginning of the 1900s. . The parade will begin at 11 a.m., but those coming from Lancaster or Palmdale need to be in Leona Valley before 10:30 a.m. if they want to enter from 90th Street W. and Bouquet Canyon Road. That entry will be closed to traffic for the parade route from about 10:30 a.m. to noon. Leona Valley School near 90th West and Leona Avenue is the starting point Noun 1. starting point - earliest limiting point terminus a quo commencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, beginning, start, kickoff, first - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the , and the parade will go north on 90th West, then east on Elizabeth Lake Road to the Leona Valley Community Center, where the festival will continue through 5 p.m. Judges will be looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. winners in six categories: bands/music, floats, equestrian equestrian a rider of horses. , walking units, antique cars An antique car is generally defined as a car over 25 years of age, this being the definition used by the Antique Automobile Club of America and many other organizations worldwide. However, the legal definition for the purpose of antique vehicle registration varies widely. and miscellaneous. Entries can be submitted through Saturday. There are plenty of opportunities for early morning physical activities as well. A 25-mile bike ride will start at 7:30 a.m., going to Lake Hughes and back. A 10-mile bike ride will begin at 8 a.m., as will a five-mile walk/run along Leona Avenue. Fourth-grader Brianna Forwood, who came up with the ``Got Cherries?'' theme for the 1998 festival, will be Junior Grand Marshal Grand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. . Maryann Floyd, a local newsletter writer and community activist, will serve as Grand Marshal. The event is sponsored by the Leona Valley Cherry Growers Association and the Leona Valley Improvement Association. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) John Mayfield examines his cherry crop in Leona Valley on Saturday. The fruit is expected to be ripe in three weeks, later than usual. (2--Color) Recent weather should delay the start of cherry picking Cherry Picking 1. The act of investors choosing investments that have performed well within another portfolio in anticipation that the trend will continue. 2. Relating to bankruptcy proceedings whereby the courts uphold contracts favorable to bankrupt companies, but annul season by a few weeks, growers say. Jeff Goldwater/Daily News |
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