11-03-2025
Spartanburg Co. student named finalist in Cheerwine Festival contest
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A Dorman High School freshman is among 10 finalists whose artwork could appear on banners, branded materials and t-shirts at this year's Cheerwine Festival in North Carolina.
Every year Cheerwine, a cherry soda which originated in Salisbury more than a century ago, celebrates its history and ties to North Carolina with a cherry soda themed festival.
This year the company invited high school students from across North and South Carolina to submit original designs highlighting Cheerwine and it's local ties to the Carolinas.
Eden Vander Ploeg, a student at Dorman Freshman Campus, was among the more than 150 students to enter the contest, one of 10 finalists to be featured at this year's festival.
Ploeg's design features a glass Cheerwine bottle being poured out, its contents forming two stems ending in a pair of cherries branded with the date of the Cheerwine Festival, May 17.
The design was nominated as a finalist by a panel of judges which included Salisbury's mayor and Joy Ritchie Harper, a fifth-generation member of Cheerwine's founding family.
'We continue to be amazed by the passion and creativity students bring to this contest,' said Harper in a news release. 'This year's finalists brought the region's spirit to life through vibrant and imaginative designs. We're grateful to the teachers, administrators and young artists who make this possible, and we can't wait to see which design will represent this year's Festival!'
Cheerwine is letting the public decide which of the 10 designs will be featured on t-shirts and other branding for this year's festival.
The winner and runners-up will be honored at the 2025 Cheerwine Festival in May, and the winning design will become the official festival artwork.
You can view all of the designs below, and vote for your favorite by clicking here. You can learn more about the Cheerwine festival. by clicking here.
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