Sunday, Aug. 18, 2013

The original Prairie Sour Cherry summer event (formerly Bruno Cherry Festival)

BASIC EVENT INFO

We are hoping to be able to again offer Jerry's Artisan Icecream in our sundaes in 2013 and beyond!

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Our 2012 Cherry Sundaes
featured Bruno Cherry Sauce and locally-crafted premium Jerry's Artisan Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream.

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Made with real cream and milk!
No edible oil fillers and no preservatives. Just premium, creamy ice cream! Taste the difference. www.jerrys.ca

When: Sunday, August 18, 2013, tentitively opening at 7:00AM

Admission: Free Gate Admission

Where: The grounds and orchard at St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission, Bruno, SK, located at the North end of Main Street in Bruno, SK. (map)

What: Join us for a day of celebrating community, friends and summer-time fun! The fun kicks-off with Pancake Breakfast & all-day Cherry U-Pick, and continues all afternoon with hot food canteen, Cherry Sundaes (of course!), local entertainment & fun for the whole family!

History of  Bruno’s Cherry Festival / Cherry Sunday

The Bruno Cherry Sunday began in 2003 as a casual afternoon event with about 400 in attendance at the historic former St. Ursula's Academy and Convert in Bruno. Under the direction of the Carlton Trail Ag Society, the event grew over the years to a full-weekend event dubbed the Bruno Cherry Festival, featuring various local-and-beyond bands, all-day food service including a pancake breakfast and turkey supper, trade show, children's programme and more, with attendance peaking in 2009 at about 3,000 people.

In 2011, organizers decided to bring the event back closer to its roots and reintroduced the festival as the original 1-afternoon Bruno Cherry Sunday, featuring local talent, cherry sundaes and speakers. In 2012, St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission (who since 2007 has owned the facility where the festival is held) assumed the role of organizer and added back the pancake breakfast, morning and children's events, plus the opportunity to ‘u-pick’ the delicious sour cherries in the very orchards for which the festival was founded.

One of the main attributes of the festival has been the location; the beautiful historic grounds of the former Ursuline Convent in Bruno. The convent had been run as a catholic girls school for over 75 years. The sisters closed the facility and in 2000 the University of Saskatchewan agreed to a five-year lease of the buildings and property. It became known as the Bruno Ursuline Campus.  Dr. Bob Bors and others from the horticulture department at the University felt the grounds would be suitable for a demonstration orchard, particularly the dwarf sour cherry.  Dr. Bors and Rick Sawatzky, fruit breeders at the University of Saskatchewan, developed these hardy cherries specifically for Saskatchewan’s harsh growing conditions.  ‘SK Carmine Jewel’ was the first of the University’s cherries released in 1999.  Five other cultivars were released in subsequent years: ‘Crimson Passion,’ ‘Romeo,’ ‘Juliet,’ ‘Cupid,’ and ‘Valentine.’ 

The success of the first Cherry Sunday provided the inspiration for the community to make the festival an annual event and The Carlton Trail Agricultural Society was formed.  One of the goals of the Ag. Society, in organizing the festival, was to promote and celebrate the new sour cherry varieties.  The festival also provided opportunities for commercial producers and backyard growers to highlight their products.  With a $15,000 grant from the Saskatchewan Association of Agricultural Societies and Exhibitors, planning for the 2004 Bruno Cherry Festival shifted into high gear.

Meanwhile, in 2003, the University ended their lease agreement. This forced the Sisters to make a decision – demolish the 60,000 square foot facility or continue to operate it as an Event Centre. Under the leadership of Sister Maureen Maier, the Ursuline Sisters continued to operate the facility as the Prairie Ursuline Centre. During this time an additional 11,000 sour cherry trees were planted on a portion of the 65 acres of land on the Ursuline grounds.  In 2007, the property was sold to another Catholic group who founded St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission in the facility. This was a good fit for the Sisters as it furthered their legacy of faith formation by passing the property on to a group that held similar religious and philosophical beliefs. It kept the property viable as an important physical and economic landmark in the community of Bruno.

ARCHIVES - Info from past years.

Websites from PAST YEARS:

• 2012 Cherry Sunday
• 2011 Cherry Sunday
• 2010 Cherry Festival
• note: websites from earlier years were not archived.

SCHEDULE

SPEAKERS

ENTERTAINMENT

CONTACT US

The Bruno Cherry Sunday / Bruno Cherry Festival has been hosted on the St. Therese Institute (formerly Prairie Ursuline Centre) grounds since the event's inception. St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission began operating the event directly in 2012, taking over the event managment from the Carlton Trail Ag Society.

Come and celebrate, and enjoy the sweet-and-tart sour cherry of the prairies!

For more information about the Cherry Sunday event, please contact St. Therese Institute: (306)369-2555 x114, info@cherryfestival.ca.

If you looking for contact information for the Carlton Trail Ag Society, please contact Kevin Pulvermacher, chair, at 306-369-4109.