Overview
About the event
Stemilt Growers in Wenatchee, Washington started this celebration. They welcomed the first Chant at the Moon Day in August 2018.
This idea came from their special �??A�??Half�??Mile Closer to the Moon�?� cherries. These fruits grow up around 2,600�??3,500 feet above sea level�??literally half a mile nearer to the moon.
Kyle Mathison, a fourth-generation cherry grower, leads this harvest. He began planting high-elevation orchards around 2002 to stretch cherry season later into summer. His team picks those late-season cherries around the full moon. Kyle believes the moon�??s gravity draws nutrients and sugars upward into each fruit.
Chant at the Moon Day honors this idea with play and flavor. Each year, the Mathisons ask people to step outside under a summer moon.
They encourage friends and families to chant, howl, or cheer skyward�??while tasting those high-altitude cherries. It became a lighthearted way to celebrate both nature�??s patterns and the end of cherry season.
By 2022, the event marked the 10th harvest of Moon cherries and their fifth official celebration day. Kyle and his crew even gather at dawn to chant together atop Stemilt Hill before packing crates full of cherries.
