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Cherry Republic 25th Anniversary Weekend

Posted by bob on Jul 11th 2014

Logo 25 Time flies when you’re celebrating Life, Liberty, Beaches, and Pie in northern Michigan! Hard though it may be to believe, Cherry Republic turns 25 this year! We’ll be marking the achievement with special events and offers throughout the year, but on Friday, July 25 and Saturday, July 26th we’ll be throwing a massive party at our Glen Arbor headquarters. It is truly a "can't miss" weekend. While special events will be held all weekend, there are a few that are especially noteworthy.

Tours of the Republic

On Friday, July 25th we will be leading our first ever tour of the Republic. We will see how local northern Michigan cherries are taken from the tree and made into over 170 different Cherry Republic goodies. Our tour will begin at the Cherry Republic headquarters in Glen Arbor. After a brief introduction, we will hop on a school bus and head to our first stop at a local cherry orchard that will be full of ripe tart cherries. We will learn about the cherry growing process and how the ruby red morsels of joy are harvested. Next we'll head over to the processing plant to watch them cleaned and pitted and stored or jarred. Lastly, we'll finish up at our cherry food factory where we will learn how our local northern Michigan cherries are made into 170 different Cherry Republic products! There are 2 scheduled tours, 10am and 1pm. Kids under the age of 12 are free, but still need to register by "purchasing" a kids ticket. We have 2 separate tours (at 10am and 1pm) and spots are limited so pick up your tickets here. UPDATE: Both tours are now SOLD OUT. Waitlists are now available and tickets will be awarded, should we receive no shows, on a chronological basis. Thank you.

Barefoot Bistro Celebration Dinner with Bob

On Friday, July 25th, Bob will be hosting a Barefoot Bistro Celebration Dinner to "formally" celebrate 25 years of selling only one fruit. This dinner will be as formal as bare feet and tee shirts can be. Putting our new Culinary Institute of America-trained chef (Tony Finnestad) to work, we've developed an exceptional 3 course menu, including wine pairings, that will highlight local foods, and of course, the cherry. The dinner will be held in our Grand Cafe in Glen Arbor. 50 tickets are available for two separate seatings, 6pm and 8pm. Vegetarian options will be available. Kid friendly options will NOT be available so it might be best to leave the littlest ones with a sitter! Get your tickets here.

Dinner Menu

Passed Appetizers Cherry Crostini
  • Toasted cherry bread, roasted garlic, goat cheese, cherry-apple chutney, mint pesto
Roasted Sweet Corn and Cherry Soup
  • Roasted sweet corn, bacon, avocado, cherry tomato
Dinner Summer Cherry Peach Salad
  • Mixed baby greens, spinach, grilled peaches, honeycrisp apple, black pepper cheese, fig jam vinaigrette, sweet and spicy nut mix
Cherry-Glazed Roast Pork Tenderloin
  • True Cherry Cola glaze, warm potato salad, watercress, honey-roasted cauliflower, toasted pine nuts
Cherry Risotto Cakes
  • Mozzarella-stuffed risotto cakes, cherry balsamic reduction, romesco sauce,  toasted almonds, roasted cipollini onions, Parmesan cheese
If you have any questions, please email orchardreport@cherryrepublic.com.

Backyard BBQ for All

We hope to see you Saturday evening, July 26th, from 5-9pm because we will be serving a huge BBQ buffet for all! Including slow-cooked St. Louis-style ribs, a build-your-own pulled pork sandwich bar, baked mac & cheese, cherry coleslaw, roasted sweet corn, cherry honey cornbread, caesar salad, watermelon salad, baked beans, cherry floats, Boomchunka cookies, and a slice of the all-American Cherry Pie for dessert. Cost is $15 per person.

Cherry Republic's Annual Talent Show

After filling ourselves with delicious bbq on Saturday, we will head across the street for the annual Cherry Republic Talent Show. Beginning at 7pm, this is the biggest and best event we put on each year and since it's our 25th anniversary, we're ramping it up and awarding the first place winner 25 five dollar bills! To enter, you may sign up in our Glen Arbor store, or email your name and talent to orchardreport@cherryrepublic.com.

Schedule

Friday, July 25th

  • 11am: Pit Spit with fresh cherries!
  • 12pm: Baked Good Walk
  • 1pm: Watermelon Carving featuring the Lord of the Gourd! (1pm-4pm)
  • 2pm: Meet & Greet with the Cherry Bear
  • 3pm: Cherry Bingo
  • 4pm: Pie / Monster Sundae eating contests
  • 5pm: Face Painting
  • 6pm: Barefoot Bistro Celebration Dinner with Bob (First Seating)
  • 8pm: Barefoot Bistro Celebration Dinner with Bob (Second Seating)

Saturday, July 26th

  • 11am: Pit Spit with Fresh Cherries
  • 12pm: Baked Good Walk
  • 1pm: Watermelon Carving featuring the Lord of the Gourd! (1pm-4pm)
  • 2pm: Cherry Stomp Meet-and-Greet with the Cherry Bear
  • 3pm: Cherry Bingo
  • 4pm: Photo Scavenger Hunt
  • 5pm: Saturday Night BBQ begins in the Grand Cafe (5-9pm) & Face Painting
  • 7pm: The Cherry Republic Talent Show begins.
What’s the secret of our longevity? Keeping it simple! Selling more than one fruit would be too complicated.