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activities surrounding the
Ficksburg Cherry Festival that can be attended during November including the White Mischief Cruise which sails around the Meulspruit dam on the "White Mischief " with seating for 22 people. There are also heritage steam train rides, and heritage tractors to see, at Sandstone Estates 14 kilometers away. Visitors can also see game in the Thaba Imperani Nature Reserve 8 km from Ficksburg on the Hammonia road. The game reserve borders the Meulspruit Dam.
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almosta 30,000 visitors each year and plays an integral role in tourism as it creates employment and is the small town's largest marketing tool. The event has benefited the town in profits of over R15 million annually through food, accommodation, shopping, and entertainment. The early traditional events of the festival included a street parade, a festive Cherry Ball and the crowning of the Cherry Queen, however, events have changed over time.
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district. The variants of the planted cherries included Giant
Heidelfinger, Elton, Early Red, Early River, and Bing. This specific cluster of cherries is still grown in the area today. Some of the original cherry trees that were planted in 1905 can still be found on the farm. It is estimated that there are over 500 hectares of cherry trees in the Eastern Free State mainly in the Ficksburg,
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rides, helicopter flips, steam train rides at
Sandstone Estate, tours through town to see the sandstone building architecture which Ficksburg is well known for. There are also tours of the surrounding countryside, tours to the cherry and asparagus farms where people are shown everything about the industry, and airplane trips to the
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cherries. Popular local performers, that has performed at the festival include
Jaunita du Plessis, Ezulka van Zyl, Glaskas, Romanz, Marimba Band, Refentse, The Soweto String Quartet and the Lipizzaner horses from Johannesburg. However, performers are announced annually. The Festival also offers special tours of the surrounding
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In the 1930s and throughout the "war years" the editor of the
Ficksburg News was Harold Lloyd, whose son, Michael, also a journalist, became well known as the editor of The Star, The Natal Mercury and the Diamond Fields Advertiser, among other leading newspapers. After suffering many tribulations as
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The region is also known as the asparagus region of South Africa, where hundreds of tons of asparagus are harvested from
September. Other kinds of fruit like peaches, apricots, cherries and apples are also grown in the region. Livestock is also an important industry in the region. There are numerous
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is arguably the oldest crop festival in South Africa. The
Ficksburg Cherry Festival happens during the third week of November annually. It takes place in November every year. The festival has been held for over 45 consecutive years and the festival continues to grow each year. The festival attracts
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A rarity for French tourists visiting
Ficksburg is that it has a repeater for Radio France International (RFI) in the case of Ficksburg, because of the multitude of French missionaries in the neighboring country of Lesotho. Radiomonde Français International broadcasts 24 hours per day in French and
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The
Ficksburg News began publication as a community newspaper in the early 1900s and, after a hiatus in the 1970s, resumed in its present form in 1979. The town also has a community radio station that broadcasts to the surrounding towns of Fouriesburg, Clocolan and Ladybrand. Sesoto FM broadcast 24
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The festival offers a variety of events that cater for different age groups. These events include children's entertainment, wine & chocolate pairing, stalls, various competitions, sporting activities like golf & soccer, workshops, exhibitions, product sales and all things associated with
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By 1931, the
Ficksburg municipal council had assumed a pseudo-heraldic coat of arms. The shield was divided in two, the upper half depicting the Roman goddess Ceres holding a torch above her head, in a landscape setting, and the lower half depicting a maize cob and three ears of wheat on a blue
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farms surrounding the town. The cherries are harvested from October to December. Annually in November the Cherry Festival is held. The festival stretches over 3 days and attracts up to 30,000 people. The festival presents family shows and activities like the herding of sheep, horse rides, camel
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Harry Pickston contacted German missionaries in South Africa enquiring about growing cherries in the country for the first time. In the year 1905, a year after Harry Pickston had enquired about cherries, the first cherry trees were planted in South Africa on the farm 'Platkop' in the Clocolan
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and asparagus farms where visitors can see the harvesting and production process of cherries in the community. Visitors can also participate in cherry picking on local farms. A festival favorite includes the 'cherry mampoer' (South African 'Moonshine') competition. There are also events and
580:. The dam is also a very scenic area and is situated 3,000 m (9,842 ft) high up in the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho. The dam is very popular for boating and fishing and is visited by thousands of tourists every year which have to gain access to Lesotho through Ficksburg.
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country in the central part of South Africa. From Ficksburg you can depart to the Katse Dam in Lesotho. This dam is important to South Africa, because it annually provides hundreds of millions of liters of water to the industrial and commercial hub of
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a prisoner-of-war, he became an Anglican priest and, at the time of his death, was the rector of St. Alban's Church in Kimberley. Both Lloyds were responsible for kindling in the well-known writer, Marie Warder, the desire to become a journalist.
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and an exclusive 3-star hotel serves as accommodation for tourists visiting the town. The hotel has a French-style restaurant which serves a wide variety of cuisine and has an a la carte menu. There are other restaurants as well.
535:(the chief administrative town) is the second busiest and important town in the Eastern Free State region of the Free State province. It is an important agricultural region where crops like corn and mealies (
698:. In layman's terms, the shield displayed a golden chevron (bearing two sprigs of cherry) between two golden wheatsheaves on a red background (above) and a green cross on a gold background (below).
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There are approximately 250 cherry trees per hectare which average a yield of 10 tons per hectare. The maraschino cherry, a sweet cherry, originated in
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English on 96.5 FM Stereo exclusively to Ficksburg. The BBC World Service radio station broadcasts from London 24 hours per day on 90.2 FM Stereo.
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The council registered a new, and heraldically better, design with the Orange Free State Provincial Administration in June 1967 and at the
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Per chevron Gules and Or, in chief two garbs Or and in base a cross humette Vert; on a chief Or two sprigs of cherry fructed proper
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are grown. The most important part of the annual crop of Ficksburg is the harvesting of the cherries on the numerous
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The Royal Engineers and settlement planning in the Cape Colony 1806–1872: Approach, methodology and impact
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and plots that could be bought at a reasonable price. It is located on the north bank of the
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The crest was an arm holding a torch, issuing from a golden mural crown. The motto remained
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The first Ficksburg Cherry Festival happened in 1968 and was started by the local Jaycees.
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Ficksburg is known as "The Gateway to the Mountain Kingdom Of Lesotho".
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1157:"Ficksburg Cherry Festival, Ficksburg Information | WhereToStay.co.za"
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70:: View of Ficksburg from Imperani Mountain, Old Building, NG Church.
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where traders added a liqueur to a cherry called the “Marasca.”
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507:. The town was later proclaimed a municipality in 1891. The last
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Watercolor of Marasca Moscata variety of cherry (Prunus avium)
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987:"Cherry Festival – Ficksburg the Cherry Capital of the World"
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in 1914 and released one day before his scheduled execution.
627:(Politician) schooled and matriculated in 1964 in Ficksburg.
809:(PhD thesis). University of Pretoria. pp. xlv–lii.
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is a town situated at the foot of the 1,750 meter high
608:. The total population of the entire area is 125,751.
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1589:Populated places in the Setsoto Local Municipality
1207:"Cherry Festival / Event in Ficksburg, Free State"
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1348:Thabo Mofutsanyana District within South Africa
1037:"Cherry Festival Ficksburg | South Africa"
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860:"Ficksburg | South African History Online"
102:Show map of Free State (South African province)
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509:Governor-General of the Union of South Africa
1604:1891 establishments in the Orange Free State
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1182:"November Picks: Ficksburg Cherry Festival"
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1106:"White Mischief Boat Trips, South Africa"
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1287:Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality
1080:"Welcome to the Cherry Festival website"
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616:Many South African figures, like author
633:(* 22 February 1978 – † 13 April 2011).
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1186:Hotels, Gaming and Entertainment Group
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499:, which separates it from the town of
1594:Lesotho–South Africa border crossings
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738:History of cherry farming in the area
487:in 1867 who won the territory in the
1599:Populated places established in 1891
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555:The town also has a wide variety of
972:http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za
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483:. The town was founded by General
271:50.4 km (19.5 sq mi)
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1285:Municipalities and communities of
1240:Map of Ficksburg showing landmarks
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18:Place in Free State, South Africa
1020:"Ficksburg Cherry Festival 2019"
848:Official Cherry Festival website
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796:Robson, Linda Gillian (2011).
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592:Ficksburg is the seat of the
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945:The arms were depicted on a
921:"Free State Community Radio"
596:which includes the towns of
279:1,628 m (5,341 ft)
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717:as the Cherry Town and the
620:, were born in Ficksburg.
519:was imprisoned here by the
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873:Setsoto Local Municipality
721:Capital of the world. The
675:background. The motto was
653:hours per day in Sesotho.
594:Setsoto Local Municipality
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1136:www.countrycottage.co.za
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132:Show map of South Africa
902:Ficksburg Tourism Forum
491:Wars. He laid out many
300:110/km (280/sq mi)
191:28.873694°S 27.878111°E
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713:Ficksburg is known in
517:Charles Robberts Swart
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1161:www.wheretostay.co.za
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196:-28.873694; 27.878111
1245:Setsoto Municipality
1112:on 12 September 2017
305:Racial makeup (2011)
297: • Density
694:The new arms were:
691:in September 1969.
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1063:"Sadelivery.co.za"
958:Orange Free State
907:2010-03-30 at the
878:2010-01-24 at the
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689:Bureau of Heraldry
407: • Other
358: • Other
289: • Total
268: • Total
237:Thabo Mofutsanyane
162:Show map of Africa
68:Clockwise from top
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1250:Ficksburg Tourism
1211:www.sa-venues.com
962:25 (9 June 1967).
891:Marie Warder Blog
838:from Census 2011.
612:Notable residents
531:Ficksburg, after
473:Imperani Mountain
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1468:(Phuthaditjhaba)
1433:Maluti-a-Phofung
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172:Coordinates:
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1515:Verkykerskop
1418:Petrus Steyn
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834:Main Place]
805:
798:"Annexure A"
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715:South Africa
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618:Marie Warder
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552:in Lesotho.
530:
481:South Africa
468:
467:
244:Municipality
213:South Africa
182:27°52′41.2″E
179:28°52′25.3″S
67:
15:
1466:Witsieshoek
1375:Fouriesburg
1302:Witsieshoek
749:Fouriesburg
641:Formula One
639:, one-time
625:Roelf Meyer
557:guesthouses
433:Postal code
255:Established
194: /
1583:Categories
1568:Tweespruit
1558:Marseilles
1451:Harrismith
1408:Leratswana
1291:Free State
1216:13 October
1191:13 October
1166:13 October
1141:13 October
815:2263/26503
783:References
756:Yugoslavia
637:Guy Tunmer
588:Population
485:Johan Fick
479:province,
477:Free State
284:Population
225:Free State
1553:Ladybrand
1543:Excelsior
1497:Phumelela
1472:Swinburne
1441:Aberfeldy
1403:Arlington
1380:Paul Roux
1365:Bethlehem
1357:Dihlabeng
1325:Ficksburg
1235:Ficksburg
836:Ficksburg
550:Katse Dam
541:asparagus
533:Bethlehem
469:Ficksburg
458:Area code
416:Time zone
376:Afrikaans
276:Elevation
156:Ficksburg
126:Ficksburg
96:Ficksburg
25:Ficksburg
1609:Cherries
1548:Hobhouse
1535:Mantsopa
1395:Nketoana
1385:Rosendal
1330:Marquard
1320:Clocolan
905:Archived
876:Archived
745:Clocolan
723:festival
602:Marquard
598:Clocolan
573:enclaved
561:B&Bs
501:Maputsoe
435:(street)
323:Coloured
232:District
220:Province
1487:Tshiame
1477:Thibela
1461:Makwane
1456:Kestell
1413:Lindley
1370:Clarens
1335:Senekal
1312:Setsoto
1116:21 June
1090:21 June
1047:21 June
997:21 June
931:23 June
643:driver.
606:Senekal
569:Lesotho
527:Profile
521:British
505:Lesotho
489:Basotho
387:English
249:Setsoto
208:Country
1525:Warden
1510:Zamani
1446:Bolata
776:cherry
751:area.
719:Cherry
571:is an
545:cherry
539:) and
446:PO box
369:(2011)
334:Indian
1520:Vrede
1505:Memel
1482:Tseki
1423:Reitz
1066:(PDF)
801:(PDF)
760:Italy
648:Media
537:maize
493:erven
421:UTC+2
402:17.9%
398:Sotho
391:22.4%
380:50.9%
353:42.3%
349:White
342:12.0%
338:Asian
316:37.2%
292:5,400
1218:2021
1193:2021
1168:2021
1143:2021
1118:2017
1092:2017
1049:2017
999:2017
933:2010
747:and
604:and
559:and
451:9730
439:9730
425:SAST
410:8.8%
361:1.5%
327:7.0%
263:Area
258:1867
811:hdl
503:in
475:in
462:051
1585::
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336:/
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