For 84 years, the Traverse City Cherry Festival has provided millions of cherries and a variety of entertainment to hundreds of thousands of people all in an effort to “bless the blossoms.”

Forty years ago, the festival became a different sort of blessing for Grand Valley State University’s President Thomas Haas, and this year a group of alumni, faculty and students will participate in the festival to show their support for the extended GVSU community.

Blossoming romance

In 1970, Haas, then 19, was stationed in Mackinaw as part with his Coast Guard unit. He and some fellow guardsmen were invited to attend the Cherry Festival as escorts for Cherry Festival queen’s court.

It was when the guardsmen met up with their partners at a dock at Cherry Festival that Haas “by random circumstances” paired up with Marcia, who he is still escorting years later as his wife.

“I take my responsibilities as escort seriously,” Haas said with a smile. “I’ve been escorting my best friend for 40 years.”

For this reason, the Cherry Festival holds a special place in the memories of Haas and his wife, who are excited to join the group from GVSU in the parade on July 10.

Coordinated by the Alumni Association, the dance team, marching band, cheerleaders and various alumni and faculty will travel to Traverse City for a reception on July 9 before the parade the following morning.

Alumni action

By July 1, about 169 people total had signed up to participate in the event, according to Kim Schmidt, associate director of the Alumni Association.

“It’s a great group of people and should be really fun,” Schmidt said.

Aside from being the event that sparked the Haas romance, the 2010 Cherry Festival also has significance as marking the 15 year anniversary of when GVSU began offering classes in the Traverse City Regional Center.

“We see ourselves as a university supporting West Michigan,” Haas said. “Traverse City is an important part of that.”

He described the festival as a community celebration of the region, for which cherries provided a venue.

For a complete schedule of events and more history on the Cherry Festival, visit http://visit.cherryfestival.org.

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