Old Mission Peninsula blossoms blessed for cherry, apple and grape harvests

At St. Joseph Catholic Church on Center Road, the spring blessing once again put Old Mission Peninsula’s fruit economy at the center of a neighborhood ritual. The 1 p.m. service, 1:30 p.m. reception, free slice of Sara Lee pie, local sparkling wine from Chateau Chantal and 2 p.m. requested blessing of orchards and vineyards all pointed to the same goal: a strong year for cherries, apples and grapes in Grand Traverse County.

The Blessing of the Blossoms has been described as an ongoing tradition on the peninsula since 1910, when residents first created it as a prayer for a good cherry crop. As orchards and vineyards became more important to the local economy, the ceremony widened beyond cherries to cover the full fruit belt that still shapes Old Mission Peninsula’s identity.

That history reaches back to 1852, when Reverend Peter Dougherty planted the area’s first cherry tree on Old Mission Peninsula. By 1925, cherry growers had joined with Traverse City merchants to create the Blessing of the Blossoms Festival, a move meant to promote both the region and the cherry business. Three years later, the blessing was renamed the Michigan Cherry Festival, a title that later evolved into the National Cherry Festival.

The ceremony’s endurance says as much about the peninsula’s economy as its faith tradition. In some years, multiple pastors from Old Mission Peninsula churches take part in the service and then travel the peninsula to bless farms and vineyards, tying the church calendar to the growing season in a very practical way. That connection has been tested before, including during COVID-19, when the blessing was held virtually for the first time in its century-long history.

This year’s gathering again underscored how much is wrapped into a few hours at St. Joseph Catholic Church. A good bloom is more than a postcard scene on Old Mission Peninsula. It is the first public sign of whether one of Grand Traverse County’s signature agricultural seasons is moving toward a strong harvest, a healthy winery and orchard year, and the summer tourism that depends on both.