SeeCalifornia.com

Pictured is the highly successful Beaumont Cherry Festival held annually in June.

Some California cities and towns with a fruit or vegetable playing a significant role in their past celebrate this agricultural heritage with a festival.  My town which was known for lima beans at one time, doesn’t celebrate the lowly lima bean, however. One of the few lima bean festivals nationally came about when West Cape May (New Jersey) Business Association founded the Lima Bean Festival nearly 30 years ago. That effort also sprouted National Lima Bean Association and Society for the Preservation of the Lima Bean, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to call attention to South Jersey’s vanishing farmlands.

In San Leandro the cherry is said to be part of the city’s heritage, and locals hope that San Leandro Cherry Festival can get on track to promote the city’s history while entertaining the public and becoming a popular event once again.  Due to recent budget constraints, the city hasn’t had a cherry festival for several years. 2014 marks the return of a 105-year-old  event that began in 1909.  Cherry Festival takes place on Saturday, May 31, 2014 in downtown San Leandro. Stay tuned!