There were plenty of entries this year and the best one was "All Aboard the Cherry Express". It was submitted by Mason Massari, who is 10 years old and in 4th grade at the Leona Valley Elementary School. Mason lives in Leona Valley with his parents and will ride in the Cherry Parade as the Junior Grand Marshal.
You can submit your Vendor Application or Parade Entry Form by emailing it to lviacherryfestival@yahoo.com or lviaparade@yahoo.com. Or you can mail it to PO Box 783, Leona Valley, CA 93551. Or you can put it in the LVIA box at Rancher's Market.
Our annual Cherry Parade started in 1972 and was uninterrupted until 2020. It features lots of floats with community Queens, horses, antique cars and anything else our residents come up with to get them on the road. The Parade starts at 10 am and ends about noon at the Leona Valley Community Building.
We feature many vendor booths with mostly hand crafted unique items for sale. There are also several food vendors with a wide range of cuisines, including our famous deep fried cherry burritos with whip cream! No craft vendors this year, but we will have food and entertainment.
Every year we have a different theme suggested by one of our elementary school kids. This year's theme is All Aboard the Cherry Express, submitted by Mason Massari, who will ride in the Cherry Parade as Junior Grand Marshal. Enter the design contest! Shirts will be for sale soon at the Post Office in Rancher's Market for $20.
Young and old alike take part in our very popular annual Pie Eating contest. Whoever eats their slice of pie fastest wins the prize! Sometimes it is a ribbon or trophy and other times it is a whole cherry pie. There will be no pie eating contest this year, start practicing for next year!
Almost every year we bring together lots of restored cars from different eras to have on display. Many of our local residents enter their own cars and others come from nearby neighboring communities. We will have cars in the Parade this year, but no separate Car Show. Enjoy them as they are driving down the road.
Our 2021 Grand Marshal is Jay Tremblay. Jay grew up on and owns the Lazy T Ranch which has been part of Leona Valley for decades. He consistently supports everyone in our community. Our Grand Marshal is nominated by the residents to best represent the spirit of Leona Valley.