Traverse City may be the heart of the National Cherry Festival, but Leelanau County will also once again provide a major role during the eight-day festival.

For the 13th year, the Michigan State Horticultural Research Station in Bingham Township will host Cherry Connections as part of the festival. Guided tours from the station will depart ever 20 minutes between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. next Monday through Friday, where sightseers will get a more personalized look at the Leelanau County cherry orchards.

Last year, a record total of more than 1,800 people visited the station during Cherry Festival, said Jennifer Berkey, MSU Extension educator and festival event coordinator. BATA buses will make daily trips to Cherry Connections from the visitor’s center in Traverse City. Also featured at the station: a petting zoo, a display of new innovative cherry products for sampling, a cherry pit spitting contest, and other educational components.

“Our goal is just to promote the local cherry products and provide education about the cherry industry,” Berkey said.

The festival officially begins Saturday, but will kick things off with a boom on the Fourth. In partnership with the Grand Traverse Veterans Coalition, the City of Traverse City and the National Cherry Festival, an Independence Day fireworks display will be held Friday night over West Bay following a twilight air show for the first time ever, said festival spokesperson Susan Wilcox Olson. Another fireworks display will conclude the festival on Saturday, July 12.

Despite the poor Michigan economy, Olson said she is pleased with the projected festival turnout based on local hotels’ pre-bookings. She attributes the pre-bookings to strong festival promotion and the reputation the festival has developed over the years.

In partnership with Travel Michigan, the term “state-cations” has been adopted to help promote tourism within the state of Michigan and draw visitors to the Cherry Festival. “For folks looking for a long weekend and not taking a big trip to Mount Rushmore or Yellowstone or the East Coast, this is still a good way to enjoy family time — and you’re only a tank (of gas) or less away,” Olson said.

This year’s Cherry Royale Parade July 12 will be officiated by the Grand Parade Marshal, Miss America 2008 Kirstin Haglund. The Farmington Hills, Mich., native will be greeting festival guests before and after the parade. Also in appearance will be 2007 cherry festival queen Danielle Moss of Benzie County, and the four Cherry Queen finalists for 2008.

One of the four is Maria LaCross of Cedar, who has Cherry Festival lineage working on her behalf. In 1987, her aunt Cindy Pleva was selected as cherry queen, and in 2002 her sister-in-law Kelsey Hewitt won the honor. In 2004, her parents Glen and Judy Lacross, owners of Leelanau Fruit Company, were named the cherry industry couple of the year.

To Maria LaCross, the Cherry Festival is a celebration and a family tradition.

“It means a lot to me, it’s my favorite time of the year, first of all, and it’s a celebration of cherries, which is a fruit that has really defined my family, which my family have been growing for many years,” she said. “I’ve been in more parades than I’ve watched.”

After a week of interviews and a speech on the cherry industry, LaCross and the other three candidates will find out who is awarded the 2008 Cherry Queen on Friday, July 11, at the Queen’s Final Coronation Ball.

LaCross said she is proud to represent the Leelanau County and glad that Traverse City includes Leelanau in the festival.

“The county is a leading producer of tart cherries in the state and I think that’s a big thing,” she said. “I think are area is so unique that we have this bountiful resource and I think its great that Traverse City has something that celebrates that.”

New to the festival this year is the Bayside Entertainment V-pass, presented by Verizon Wireless. For $10, the V-pass is good for admission to all musical performances in the Bayside Entertainment area for all eight days.

“So if you were planning to attend multiple concerts, it’s a great deal for 10 bucks,” Olson said.

The streets of Traverse City are often congested over the span of the festival, which many people who aren’t tourists try to avoid. LaCross tries to look at the brighter side of the crowded sidewalks.

“Having all the people come and visit and get excited about our area and see all that Traverse City has to offer, I like the visitors,” she said. “I know people complain about the traffic and stuff but I think they bring a lot of life to our area.”