1977 Daffodil Festival Parade. Riding on the back of a killer whale float and accompanied by princesses Mary Riggleman and Karon DiLoreto is Carol Glenn, 1977 Daffodil Queen from Bethel High School. Miss Glenn was the first queen chosen from her school and the first African-American to receive the honor. Her "Whale of a Float" was designed by Tacoma City Light and was decorated with 13,000 daffodils. (TNT 4-16-77, A-3 article)

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1977 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1970-1980; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1970-1980; Glenn, Carol; Beauty contestants--Tacoma--1970-1980; African American women--Tacoma--1970-1980;

1968 Richards stock footage of Daffodil Festival. Puget Power's entry, #15, in the 35th annual Daffodil Festival meanders down Pacific Avenue nearing the Peoples department store on April 6, 1968. The charming Asian setting with "Madam Butterfly" seated in the rear won Puget Power second place in the commercial group. Theme of the parade was "Tales & Legends." (TNT 4-7-68, B-1)

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1968 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1960-1970; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1960-1970; Daffodils--Tacoma;

1968 Richards stock footage of Daffodil Festival. It appears that these leprechauns are basking in a sea of gold in this entry from the Orting Community. One lucky lady has followed the rainbow to a stash of golden coins. An enormous shamrock serves as a backdrop to the float; it is possible that it was composed of dyed green daffodils. Orting's "Leprechauns" was entry #9 in the 35th annual Daffodil Festival parade. (TNT 4-7-68, B-1)

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1968 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1960-1970; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1960-1970; Daffodils--Tacoma;

1968 Richards stock footage of Daffodil Festival. A rather meek dragon sticks out his tongue, seemingly unaware of the lovely four maidens at the castle gates behind him. Float #3 from the Pierce County Senior 4-H was entitled "Days of Old," reflecting the 1968 Daffodil Festival theme of "Tales & Legends." It was one of 26 floats entered in the 35th annual parade, and won the coveted Grand Award. (TNT 4-6-68, p. 1, 4-7-68, B-1)

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1968 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1960-1970; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1960-1970; Daffodils--Tacoma;

1968 Stock footage of Daffodil Festival parade. Over 20,000 golden daffodils befitting the aptly named "Golden Tales of Beauty" decorated the 1968 Princess float created by the City of Puyallup's Puyallup Junior Woman's Club. Princesses Inese Verzemnieks, Mardel Johnson, Judy Ehlers and Jennifer Anderson gracefully acknowledged the crowds lined up along Pacific Avenue on April 6, 1968. They were escorted by yellow-jacketed parade officials. (TNT 4-6-68, p. 1-2)

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1968 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1960-1970; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1960-1970; Daffodils--Tacoma; Verzemnieks, Inese; Johnson, Mardel; Ehlers, Judy; Anderson, Jennifer;

The Tacoma Retail Trade Bureau's 1957 Daffodil Parade float entitled "Symphony" featured a king-sized violin with a lyre. Margaret Strachan, the 1956 Daffodil queen, graciously waves to the parade watchers as the float passes on Pacific Avenue near 11th St. United Savings Bank and the Perkins Bldg. are in the background. 32,000 daffodils were employed on this float, which won first place in the Retail division. Photograph ordered by the Tacoma Retail Trade Bureau. (TNT 4-14-57, A-1)

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1957 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Retail Trade Bureau (Tacoma); Strachan, Margaret;

Can-can girls strut to the tunes of Dixieland as they march alongside the entry from Steve's Cafe (better known as Steve's Gay '90s) in the 1957 Daffodil Parade. Daffodils cover the front and sides of the genuine San Francisco cable car. Women and children, possibly members of the owners' families, peer out of the slowly moving unit as the band plays on. Photograph ordered by Steve's.

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1957 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cable railroads--Tacoma; Steve's Gay '90s (Tacoma);

Entry #49 in the 1957 Daffodil Parade was the charming "Hi Diddle Diddle" float sponsored by the Independent Order of Foresters. A cat fiddles merrily away as a cow attempts to jump over the crescent moon. The dog has his mouth open in a wide smile while the dish extends its arms to an unseen spoon. This float took 2nd place for the Nursery Rhyme Division. Photograph ordered by the Independent Order of Foresters. (TNT 4-14-57, B-8)

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1957 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Independent Order of Foresters 327 (Tacoma); Fraternal organizations--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Peter Cottontail and pals wave to spectators as the Shop Rite Food Centers prize-winning float continues on its Daffodil Parade route on April 13, 1957. A 7 foot Peter is seated before an enormous yellow daffodil; his assistants, dressed in bunny outfits, are perched in flower shells. Judy Roetker, in flowing evening gown, sits among the field of daffodils. "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" was given the Sweepstakes Parade Award at the 24th annual Daffodil Parade. The float was the biggest allowed under parade rules at 39 feet long, 16 feet wide and 14 feet tall. 60,000 daffodils and 6,000 Esther Reed daisies graced the enormous float. Photograph ordered by West Coast Grocery Co. (TNT 4-13-57, A-1)

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1957 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Shop Rite Food Centers (Tacoma); West Coast Grocery Co. (Tacoma);

The intersection of 11th & Pacific, crowds dispersing after the 1956 Daffodil Parade. People have lined up several deep along Pacific to enjoy the parade.The dull, overcast day did not deter the over 100,000 parade viewers in Tacoma; another 50,000 were expected to view the parade in Puyallup and Sumner. In addition, the parade was telecast by local stations who anticipated a viewing audience of over 1 million. The parade was made up of 59 floats, 37 bands and drill teams, 7 cars and 4 mounted units. The parade got underway at 10am in Tacoma and was over 2 hours long. The parade route began at 17th and Broadway, proceeded north on Broadway to 9th, down 9th to Pacific and south on Pacific to 19th. More than 2 million King Alfred daffodils were used to carry out the theme of "Storytime in Daffodils." (TNT 4/12/1956, PG. 1, 4/14/1956, PG.1, 4/15/1956, PG. 1)

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1956 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma;

The intersection of 11th & Pacific, a group of young baton twirlers clad in short plaid skirts and white sweaters march in majorette boots performing for the crowd. The identity of this group is not known, but some of the twirlers look hardly larger than their batons. The 1956 parade featured 37 bands and drill teams.

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1956 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Baton twirling--Tacoma; Drum majorettes--Tacoma;

Cinderella is the theme of this float; the clock has almost struck 12 midnight as Prince Charming, believed to be the newly elected Exalted Ruler of the Elks Norbert E. Grove, attempts to fit the slipper back on Cinderella's foot. This charming salute to the Cinderella fairy tale won first place in Division 4, fraternal groups, for the Elks. The carriage and castle are all covered with sunny yellow daffodils. (TNT4/14/1956, pg. 1; 4/15/1956, pg. 1)

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1956 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Tacoma Lodge No. 174 (Tacoma); Grove, Norbert;

Fabled logging giant Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe are featured on this float designed for St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. This float won the Sweepstakes Award in the 23rd annual Daffodil Festival Parade. The 45 foot float was the longest and lowest single unit in parade history. Designed by Roy E. Stier, it was covered with 40,000 daffodils and 3,000 blue daisies. St. Paul and Tacoma had won many Festival Parade awards and was known for its beautiful and original floats. TPL-2034

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1956 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

The twelve 1959 Daffodil Festival Princesses, representing Tacoma, Sumner, Puyallup and Orting, pose in the daffodil fields of the Francis Chervenka family farm on the east side of the Sumner-Orting Highway. Kneeling is Carol Mills, representing Franklin Pierce High School. Seventeen year old Carol was selected to reign as the 1959 Daffodil Queen in April. The standing princesses are left to right Sandra Lilyblad of Sumner, Lani Torre of Wilson H.S., Chris Rupp of Sumner, Julie Wahlgren of Stadium H.S., Caryn Chervenka of Puyallup, Sally Yoder of Sumner, Shelia Keogan of Puyallup, Jo Anne Tatum of Clover Park H.S., Gail Christenson of Puyallup, Anita Johnson of Lincoln H.S. and Gail Eagan of Orting. The 26th annual Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival would take place April 6-12, 1959. It was a salute to Alaska, the newest state. The princesses are dressed in daffodil yellow full skirted dresses with white parka jackets. The jackets are the festival's abbreviated version of an Alaskan parka, designed by Norma Coquillette. They can be worn with hoods, or the hoods can be folded back into a shawl collar. (TNT 2/18/1959, pg. 1)

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1959); Mills, Carol; Lilyblad, Sandra; Torre, Lani; Rupp, Chris; Wahlgren, Julie; Chervenka, Caryn; Yoder, Sally; Keogan, Shelia; Tatum, Jo Anne; Christenson, Gail; Johnson, Anita; Eagan, Gail;

The Daffodil Court attendants' float travels down Pacific Avenue, following that of Queen Elvera I and preceding the Eatonville drill team. Riding on the float are Sally Strobel, Sandra Drahold, Rosemary Fly, Gloria Minarisich, Janet Bock, Dorothy Sellers and Colleen Doyle surrounded by 30,000 daffodils. The float is flanked by the Rosarians as guards, representatives from the Rose Parade in Portland, Oregon. The float was sponsored by the Young Mens Business Club and built by the Associated Contractors.

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1955 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960;

This flower covered San Francisco trolley car won first place in the retail division for Steve Pease. Steve Pease owned Steve's Gay '90s, a South Tacoma landmark and popular nightspot of the fifties and sixties. This trolley was an actual San Francisco street car that Pease bought at auction in San Francisco, outfitted for street driving and drove back to Tacoma. It became a centerpiece at his restaurant and served as the inspiration for his Cable Car Room.

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1955 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Steve's Gay '90s (Tacoma);

The winner in the Fraternal Organization division of the 1955 Daffodil Parade was sponsored by the Tacoma Elks Lodge # 174. A fountain at the front of the float spouts floral spray, followed by the flags of many countries leading to a floral depiction of the globe. Young women in evening gowns ride on the float. The one in front laughs with the crowd as she covers her head against the misty rain that plagued the parade this year. Despite the rough weather conditions, a record crowd turned out to cheer the parade on.

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1955 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Tacoma Lodge No. 174 (Tacoma);

The winning float in the 1955 Industrial Division of the Daffodil Parade was sponsored by Carstens Hygrade. A floral basket holding young girls in white dresses with wrist length white gloves is being pulled by ribbons held in the beaks of floral birds. All float entries were judged according to artistic design and originality, with appearance, originality, conformity to theme, artistic features and detail being scored. No floats were permitted in the parade unless they were at least 75 % covered with flowers or other floral materials.

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1955 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Carstens Packing Co. (Tacoma);

A smiling, waving young woman rolls down the street in a huge bright yellow daffodil ballgown with matching hat. The dress hides the means of conveyance of this float. This entry was sponsored by the Lions Club.

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1955 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lions Club (Tacoma);

The winner of the 1955 Daffodil Parade Festival Award for the float most closely adhering to the festival theme of "Golden Future" was sponsored by the Mount Rainier Ordnance Depot. Its theme was "We weave the golden future." It featured a revolving spinning wheel that wound out skeins of golden thread to eight spools, with labels like shipbuilding and aircraft, most probably referring to the industries that would fuel the Northwest economy in the future. The float used over 60,000 daffodils. A large basket in the front held the daffodil "wool." TPL-8301

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1955 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Mount Rainier Ordnance Depot (Tacoma);

The first place winner in the Education and Youth Division of the 1955 Daffodil Parade was this floral beauty sponsored by Pacific Lutheran College. A flower bedecked representation of the world is topped by a cross. A bridge or a rainbow leads from the globe to the front of the float. The 1955 parade also had a touch of Hollywood glamour as the honorary Grand Marshall was Marjie Millar, Tacoma native and the star of television and movies. This was the first time that a woman had served as Grand Marshall.

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1955 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Pacific Lutheran College (Parkland)--1950-1960;

Pepsi Cola sponsored this salute to Tacoma's Rainbow Girls in the 1955 Daffodil Parade. The side of the float refers to Pepsi as "the light refreshment." No doubt the girls riding on the float in the abbreviated swimsuits were goose bumped as the day was both rainy and cool, however both girls smile at the crowd. The other girls are dressed in sleeveless evening gowns. Membership in the Order of the Rainbow is open to girls 13-20 who are related to members of the Masonic Lodge or the Eastern Star. The order was founded in 1922 in Oklahoma. Their ritual is based on the 9th chapter of Genesis and the virtues of faith, hope and charity. The seven colors of the rainbow symbolize life, religion, nature, immortality, fidelity, patriotism and virtue.

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1955 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co.; Rainbow Girls (Tacoma); Fraternal organizations--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The float entered by the St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Co. won third place in the Industrial Division. Two twin globes flank the front of the float, while the Statue of Liberty stands guard before a depiction of an atom at the rear of the float. A young boy representing Uncle Sam had gotten tired and is sitting on the base of the Statue. A south of the border vaquero and a safari hunter also ride at the rear of the float next to a palm tree.

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1955 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

Students from the Marymount Military Academy, marching in precision with rifles, drill past the intersection of Pacific Ave. and 11th St. in the 22nd annual Daffodil Parade. They are dressed in uniforms and led by platoon officers with swords and banners. Founded in 1923, Marymount was the only military school in the state of Washington. It was run by the Dominican sisters and located south of Tacoma in Spanaway on the grounds of the Shields "Shangarry" estate. Students came from around the world to attend this boarding school.

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1955 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Marymount Military Academy (Spanaway); Private schools--Spanaway; Military education--Spanaway;

1978 Daffodil Festival Parade. The Judges Trophy for originality was awarded to the Orting Community's entry in the 1978 Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival Parade. It was one of the 33 floats entered in the parade. Orting had selected the theme "Lighter than Air" which was aptly displayed by the use of three flowered hot-air balloons floating on large white clouds. Several young ladies in pastels and white, possibly seniors at Orting High School, graced the float. The float measured 42-feet long, 11-feet wide and 13-feet high with some 35,000 white daffodils. The News Tribune noted in its front page parade article that it was a "crowd favorite." (TNT 4-9-78, A-1)

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1978 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1970-1980; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1970-1980;

1978 Daffodil Festival Parade. The 30-member drill team from Gov. John R. Rogers High School in Puyallup march proudly down Pacific Avenue during the April, 1978, Daffodil Festival Parade. The school's 90-piece marching band follows. The Rogers High School entry was one of 12 marching units and drill teams participating in the parade.

Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1978 : Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1970-1980; Marching bands; Drill teams;

Tacoma High School students parade to "Boost the Stadium." The campaign to raise $100,000 to build a beautiful high school stadium next to the school was successfully launched on October 6, 1908, when 2,000 school children ranging from 7th-8th grade to high schoolers marched in the "Boost for Stadium" parade. The school district cooperated by making the day a half-day so that the youngsters could march from Tacoma High School (later renamed Stadium High School) to the Union Club and then onto the downtown business district. Led by the Tacoma Musicians Union, who provided their services without charge, the marchers chanted "Boost for the stadium, stadium, stadium" and "Stadium, stadium, stadium, stadium" throughout the long walk. Paraders canvassed the business blocks of Commerce and "C" (now Broadway) and Pacific and would go on to canvas residential areas after school the next day. They asked businesses to contribute $10 promissory notes payable to the Board of Education. Each $10 entitled subscribers to one seat in the stadium for all entertainments there for the next five years. Supporters of the new stadium aimed to have it completed and ready for dedication and use by May 1, 1909. (TDL 10-6-1908, p. 5-article; TDL 10-7-1908, p.1-article)