The Washington State Apple Blossom Festival, originally called "Blossom Days", was founded in 1919 to celebrate the importance of the
apple industry to the region. The Ladies Musical Club produced the first festival in 1920, a one-day event in Memorial Park involving songs, speeches,
maypoles, and baseball. The festival's relative success in drawing in large crowds from the area assured the continuation of the festival in subsequent years. In 1921, the Commercial Club, forerunner of the Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce, took over sponsorship of the celebration. When the festival began again after
World War II, the festival was renamed the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival to more accurately reflect the importance of the
apple industry in North
Central Washington. In 1967, Wenatchee established a
sister city relationship with the Aomori Apple Blossom Festival in
Japan. On what would've been the centennial anniversary in 2020, officials cite the
COVID-19 pandemic as grounds for cancellation. The next year saw the festival defer to early June. There were other cancellations from 1942 to 1945. == References ==