Despite the threat of stormy weather, the Washington Cherry Festival attracted large crowds. People came from all over Central Illinois to see what Washington had to offer this year. In its inaugural, the Cherry Festival 5K run brought runners from as far away as Colorado, Indiana and Florida. In all, the Illinois Valley Striders signed in 269 participants in the Saturday morning event co-sponosred by the Washington Park District. Miller's Petting Zoo was once again a hit with children and adults, and the annual St. Jude Runner's Charity Car Show, sponsored by the Mid Illinois Corvette Club, returned for a 10th year. One returning favorite, the Cherry-Oke contest was cancelled because of stormy weather. More games and a costume contest were added to the children's events this year, and the main stage entertainment attracted a large audience Saturday night with performances by The Matt Barber Experience, Phoenix and The Boat Drunks. So with the carnival gone and the festival grounds cleaned up, Washington will have to wait another year to bring out the cherries.