Gorge Guide

HOOD RIVER CHERRY CELEBRATION on the Hood River County Fruit Loop

July 11 - 12, 2009
Hood River, OR
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Wineries open at 11 a.m.)
FREE Parking

Join the Hood River Valley's famous Fruit Loop for their 17th Cherry Celebration! Many varieties of fresh-picked cherries will be available at Fruit Loop farm stands and attractions. There’ll be other wonderful cherry treats, including cherry wine, jam, cookies, pies and more. Taste delicious fruit and products, and choose your favorites to take home.

There’s plenty more available along the Fruit Loop, in addition to tasty cherries. Visit comfortable tasting rooms for wonderful award-winning wines. Stop by an alpaca farm to meet the year’s adorable babies. Take an orchard tour. Enjoy BBQ, delightful desserts, cookies, and many more great treats.

In addition to the orchard-fresh fruit available all along the Loop, some Fruit Loop farms are serving up special activities or attractions for the Cherry Celebration. Visit the Draper Girls Country Farm for “Crazy for U-Pick Cherry Days.” Picking your own cherries is great family fun. They’ll have plenty of ready-picked cherries, too. Enjoy their fresh, non-pasteurized cherry cider. Choose from stocks of jams, jellies, and honey. Fresh vegetables will be available, too.

Cherry Karma’s “Cherry Jubilee” is at the “Purple Pit Stop,” with cherry recipes, cherry tips, cherry treats—and, of course, fresh cherries! There’ll be a lot more, too, including local pottery, jewelry, crafts, and collectables.

The U-pick cherry orchard will be open at Packer Orchards and Cookie Stop Bakery. Please call first for picking tips and times (541-354-1140). The new U-pick strawberry patch should be open, as well. There will also be lots of ready-picked fresh berries, and many kinds of cherries. Enjoy delicious cherry and strawberry milkshakes, and fresh-baked pies and cookies to round out a visit.

Hood River Vineyards joins the celebration with a tasting of their estate-grown Black Cherry Port, and the release of their Rainier Cherry Port. Their other outstanding wines will be available, too.

Hood River Lavender Farms serves up a wide range of fun and activities at their 5th annual Lavender Daze Festival, including certified organic U-pick lavender, an impressive line-up of live music, more than 20 arts and crafts booths, craft classes, BBQ, Cathedral Ridge wine, lavender gelato, massages, face painting, a ladybug release party, beautiful scenery and fun for the whole family. Tour groups welcome. Free admission.

The Lavender Festival in the Gorge is at Lavender Valley Lavender Farm. Enjoy the beauty of four acres of beautiful lavender in full bloom, wand classes and lavender oil extraction demonstrations daily, lavender lemonade, and live music. There will be artists and art displays, fresh cut flowers and plants available, and a broad selection of naturally-made lavender bath and body products.

Stop by delightful Foothills Yarn & Fiber shop at Cascade Alpacas for the Chic Knits Trunk Show, July 2-21. See simple, wearable, and chic style-smart designs by Phuong My Ly, who owns the ultra-stylish Knitport yarn shop in Southern California. It’s an inspiring collection of hand knit garments!

Revel in all the many cherry varieties and products available along the Fruit Loop, as well as in the scenery and fun activities. Find other early-summer produce and flowers, too. Pack a picnic and create a family memory with a meal at one of the free picnic areas made available by Fruit Loop members. Admission to Fruit Loop farms and attractions is free, and most are open from at least 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Some have longer hours; wineries open at 11 a.m.). There is free parking, too.

For more information call 541-386-7697 or visit the Fruit Loop online.

What is the Fruit Loop?
Take this 35-mile, scenic drive through the valley's orchards, forests, farmlands, and friendly communities. Sample delicious fruits and take your favorites home, visit a winery, experience fields of fragrant lavender, meet adorable alpacas, savor delicious baked goods, and create memories by participating in family activities hosted at Fruit Loop locations throughout the year. The Fruit Loop is just an hour away from Oregon's largest city, Portland. Located in the national scenic area called the Columbia River Gorge, and the nation's largest pear-growing region, this is one of the few places that offers the complete experience of growing, producing, and then enjoying fruit and wine.