The Cherry Carnival festivities included Indian canoe races and dances, a Scottish dance contest, horse racing, auto races, lacrosse and basketball games and a foot race between Mayor J.H. Ashwell of the City of Chilliwack and Reeve W.M. Wells of the Township of Chilliwhack. At the fairgrounds there were a number of attractions like a merry-go-round, a leather throated man who swallowed nails, and a petrified man. At the end of the day there were two dances, one at the Legion and the other at the Athletic Hall. The highlight of the carnival was the crowning of the first Cherry Carnival Queen, Miss Ellen Grafton who represented the Chilliwack Athletic Association.
The Cherry Carnival was deemed a huge success. During the two days of the carnival Chilliwack sold more cherries than in any other year in the valley's history. According to the Vancouver Daily Province (July 3, 1950), "An estimated 10,000 people lined Chilliwack streets to watch the mile-long parade."
These were the heydays of the Carnival. However declining attendance through the early 1950s led to the end of the Cherry Carnival. Competition from other events and the loss of cherry trees, because of fungal diseases, were factors in the eventful end of the carnival. From 1927-1955 the Chilliwack Cherry Carnival was one of the Fraser Valley's most important festivals.
Cherry Carnival Queen with princesses and entourage. AM 616, file 43.