2012 First-Class Forever Stamp,Earthscapes: Cherry Orchard

U.S. #4710i
2012 45¢ Cherry Orchard
Earthscapes

Issue Date: October 1, 2012
City: Washington, DC

Quantity: 2,670,000

Printed By: Banknote Corporation of America, Sennett Security Products

Printing Method: Offset

Perforations: Die Cut 10 ¾

Color: multic...  more

U.S. #4710i
2012 45¢ Cherry Orchard
Earthscapes

Issue Date: October 1, 2012
City: Washington, DC

Quantity: 2,670,000

Printed By: Banknote Corporation of America, Sennett Security Products

Printing Method: Offset

Perforations: Die Cut 10 ¾

Color: multicolored

Every July, thousands of visitors from all over the world travel to Traverse City, Michigan, to take part in the National Cherry Festival. Michigan grows about 75% of the nation’s tart cherry crop, and Traverse City considers itself the “Cherry Capital of the World.”

Peter Dougherty planted the first cherry trees in Michigan in 1852. The climate proved to be perfect, and his crop thrived. By the 1900s, orchards were established along the coast of Lake Michigan, and the harvests were sent to surrounding cities. The fruit was used in pies, jams, and juice, as it is today.

Traverse City first held their “Blessing of the Blossoms Festival” in May 1925. Over time, it was extended to a week-long celebration at harvest time in July. Presidents Herbert Hoover and Gerald Ford have both attended. In 1987, a world’s record was set with the largest cherry pie, which weighed over 28,000 pounds.

The cherry orchards of Michigan have supplied the region with a source of income and a way of life. The National Cherry Festival celebrates both with parades, classic car shows, races, pit-spitting contests, and plenty of desserts and drinks made from the fruit that was first planted in the region more than 150 years ago.