Trevor Tkach introduced our program, something near and dear to his heart, THE NATIONAL CHERRY FESTIVAL. The Executive Director is fellow Rotarian KAT PAYE. Kat was Trevor's "understudy". However, according to Trevor, she did all the hard work that made him look good. Now it's Kat's "show". She has everything to make the Festival a success, including 9 pairs of red shoes (that's a lot). Kat is a graduate of Davenport University. The National Cherry Festival has been a passion of hers for most of her life. She says its success comes from an incredible "team" of both staff and volunteers. There are five full-time staff members and as many as 2100 volunteers. The volunteers and Ambassadors (2400) oversee more than 150 events.
Kat gave us some interesting facts. The budget for the Festival is $3 million. Any money that might not get used goes into a "rainy-day" fund for future Festivals or unexpected needs. This past year $62,825 was given back to the community. She said 20,000 pounds of fresh sweet cherries were sold at the Festival last year. This year's Festival runs June 30th to July 7th. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels return June 30th & July 1st. It's always a GREAT FESTIVAL – take advantage of it!!!
Trevor introducing the incredible Kat Paye