International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship

Cherry Pit Spitting

Article by: © Michael J. Rosen 2012

"Hopefully, You Get a Nice Round One."*

Father-son time traditionally involves heading off to a baseball game, spending a day at a pay pond, or sitting at the kitchen table trying to figure out why sonny-boy keeps bouncing checks when his checkbook shows - well, that it hasn't been balanced since leaving for college.

But for Rick "Pellet Gun" Krause and his son "Young Gun," known as Brian* at the top of his checks, winning the International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship is real bonding time.

Held since 1974 at the Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm in Eau Claire, Michigan, the championship has belonged to Pellet Gun ten times, along with the world record flight of 72 feet 7 inches. A spitting image of his father, Young Gun has now claimed the title seven times since 1993, and spat a cherry pit 93 feet 6 1/2 inches, making his father's previous record look ignorable as a Maraschino cherry on a cocktail garnish.

As champion, Young Gun received an apple tree that was dedicated in his honor and planted in the orchard, a free hotel stay at the following year's competition, and some "remember-when-I-used-to-let-you-win" joking from dear old Dad on the ride home.

No Dribbling the Squid

International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship Dates, Location and Further Information

For more info on this spit-tacular event, swing by the Treemendus Fruit website.

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