Traverse City's National Cherry Festival: A Pictorial History by Wakefield, Lawrence and Lucille - 1987

Chelsea, Michigan: Book Crafters, Inc. , 1987. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Soft cover. Very Good. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. Minor edge and corner wear; lightly scuffed and scratched; some light shelf wear; spine is gently creased; former owner's name and address are stamped on the ffep; overall a very crisp and clean used copy! Very very rare and hard-to-find title! Red and green illustrated wrapper with silver lettering. 118 very clean unmarked and uncreased informative and historical pages nicely enhanced by black and white photographs! Extremely scarce and out-of-print first edition! "Farmers everywhere have always been at the mercy of the weather and other natural hazards, and from the earliest times they have held ceremonies calling upon the gods to protect their crops and keep them safe from harm. The practice is ancient: it goes back to the very beginnings of agriculture, at least 6,000 years ago, and it continues to this day. Even skeptics would find it hard to disapprove: why take chances when you need all the help you can get? Thus cherry farmers in the Grand Traverse region were performing a very ancient ritual ehen, shortly after the turn of the century, they began to hold informal 'blessing of the blossoms' ceremonies each year at blossom time in May......" ---- from How It All Began.