Eau Claire, Michigan: Their Unique Claim to Fame

Not to be confused with Eau Claire, Wisconsin or Eau Claire, Pennsylvania, THIS Eau Claire lies in southwestern Michigan in Berrien County.

We'll get to their "claim to fame" in a minute, but first a little background:

Originally land inhabited by Native Americans, especially the Potawatomi, it was in 1835 when Henry Rush came to settle; he tilled a small chunk of land in order to grow crops, and it became the seed that grew the village of Eau Claire (French for “clear water”).

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With friends and friends of friends arriving to settle, soon the community was large enough that it could be officially called a ‘village’.

So in 1861 William Smythe Farmer established their first post office and elected the afore-mentioned Henry Rush as postmaster. It was Farmer that gave the post office & village its name, inspired by a stream that ran through the area.

In 1882 the railroad came through which soon brought more travelers and settlers, which spawned more establishments: cider mill, drug store, hotel, manufacturing plant, and stove company. And of course, saloons. With a whoppin’ population of 318, Eau Claire was finally incorporated as a village in 1891.

All fine and dandy, but what is Eau Claire’s claim to fame?
Cherry pit spitting.

Every year since 1974 the International Cherry Pit–Spitting Championship is held at the Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm in Eau Claire. The person who spits the pit the farthest gets the honorable title of the Cherry Pit Spitting International Champ and wins lots of local swag.

The Rules:
Cherries must be regulation
Chilled between 55 & 60 degrees
Hands kept below shoulders
Forfeited for swallowing a pit

Competition took place every July, but the farm has been permanently closed since December 31, 2019.

NOW where do we go to spit our pits?