Pig in a Blanket

The first Saturday in July, 1974 (I looked it up – It actually fell on the 6^th, just like this year) Herb Teichman held a cherry pit spitting tournament in Eau Claire, Michigan. He meant it to be a joke, but the idea really caught on. It quickly became an annual tradition by popular demand, and eventually the first Saturday in July became known as International Cherry Pit Spitting Day. Pit spitting is an amateur event. It involves spewing the stone of a fresh cherry from one’s mouth at a high velocity, so as to achieve the greatest distance. Measuring from the spitter’s toes to the fallen pit determines the winner. Eating the cherry – whether before or after spitting the pit – is of course optional. If you decide to host a local “Pit Spit” today, I’d recommend an al fresco venue, like a picnic in the park. The inevitable cherry juice and slippery pits could make an indoor competition rather hazardous.