Blossoms galore

May 21 found me standing on a street corner in Creston, B.C. It is not my usual haunt, I hasten to say, nor is coverage from Creston usual for The Western Producer. Which is why I was there for the 70th annual Creston Valley Blossom Festival.
Before departing Lethbridge for the event, I asked festival organizer Jack Smith what I thought might be a silly question: will there be any blossoms at the blossom festival?

“There’s always something blooming,” was his answer. And he was right. Though my meager knowledge of fruit trees does not allow me to tell one blossom from another, it appeared the cherries were mostly finished blooming, some apples were still blooming and the lilacs were about to bloom. There was also another kind of blossom in the parade, as you can see in the accompanying photo.
The parade was just getting organized when I introduced myself to Ken and Signe Miller, who were getting the entrants in order.
“Yes, we heard you were coming,” they said, giving me a welcome flavour of small-town life. Later on, who should be standing on the street corner with me, watching the parade, but former town mayor Joe Snopek. He knew everyone and it seemed everyone knew him.
The atmosphere solidified my warm feelings about Creston. Growing up in southern Alberta, Creston was the closest fruit growing region, with its temperate climate and seemingly incessant sunshine. When it came time to get fruit for canning, Creston was the family destination. Picking fruit in an orchard was a novelty, and the picking made that fruit taste all the more delicious.
We always accumulated a carload of produce. Once we got home, the real work of canning began. Of course, that allowed us to taste the fruits of Creston throughout the following winter.

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On this trip to Creston, I learned that people can actually adopt cherry trees and have the harvest from those trees all to themselves. As a lover of fresh cherries, it is a dream come true. You’ll find details in an upcoming issue of the WP.