The official dedication ceremony for the Bellaire Cherry Bear is this weekend. After several days of putting the finishing touches on the nearly 12 foot tall chainsaw masterpiece carved out of a 75 year old Maple tree in front of the Traverse Bay Farms distribution center on M-88, the much anticipated masterpiece is finished. According to Andy LaPointe, Director of Marketing the Traverse Bay Farms, “We’ve received great feedback and congratulations from many in the community. Almost from day one, we’ve had people stop by and take pictures. Even while the bear was being carved, several people stopped and admired this one-of-a-kind masterpiece. After several days of asking people about several different naming ideas, we decided to officially name this creation the ‘Bellaire Cherry Bear’. This will not only prove to be a special landmark for the area but it will be the welcoming mascot to both visitors and locals to the Bellaire-area.” This special introduction ceremony will include free digital photos of anyone interested in getting their picture taken with the Bellaire Cherry Bear. Digital photos will be taken between 1:00PM and 3:00PM on Saturday November 28th in all weather conditions. These digital photos will be available for free download from the company’s website. In addition, Traverse Bay Farms will be offering free salsa sampling at their “Salsa Bar”. The event will also include special pricing on their gourmet fruit products. The Traverse Bay Farms wholesale distribution center is located just south of the Bellaire Golf Course on M-88. They are located next to Holton Propane and just north of the M-88 and the Comfort Road turnoff. If you are going to be in Northern Michigan the weekend after Thanksgiving stop by for the official dedication ceremony.
