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The cherry market generally lasted one month from mid-May to mid-June; a considerable crowd thronged the Cours Foch to buy the precious fruits. Its fame made it the market for wholesalers or "shippers" in the region.
The sales were opened and closed by a whistle of the country-guard. You had to be quick and decide hurry-up to buy a batch of cherry. The market of La Roque was popular because the cherries, grown on the spot, were particularly fresh and could be kept longer. The elders say that when they left school, the kids mowed down some cherries while passing by on the market, but this that was tolerated by the merchants.
Today, the cherry is no longer cultivated in La Roque d'Anthéron, but the cherry market festival at the beginning of June reminds Provençals and visitors of this tasty and merry tradition.
