Kiwanis float in 1952 Daffodil Parade featuring the Soap Box Derby, sponsored by the Kiwanis & the Tacoma News Tribune.The Soap Box Derby was a coaster car race held in July, with prizes for the winning builders and racers. The Kappa Sigma float follows down the parade route turning from 9th onto Pacific Ave.
Celebrations--Tacoma; Festivals--Tacoma; Parades & Processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1952 : Tacoma); Floats (parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Kiwanis Club (Tacoma); Coaster cars--Tacoma;
Entry from the Tacoma Vocational Technical School in the 1952 Daffodil Festival parade. Women with daffodil-shaped bonnets and clothing resembling the leaves and stems of the golden blossoms ride on the float along with a man with a "scarf" of daffodils. The float is parked outside O'Farrell Distributors, wholesale liquor dealers.
Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1952 : Tacoma); Tacoma Vocational Technical School (Tacoma);
This daffodil covered horse and buggy was the entry of Steve's Gay Nineties restaurant in the 1952 Daffodil Parade. The Pease family (l to r) Mary, Steve and Dorothy Jean rode in the buggy. The Pease family was very active in Tacoma, with Steve often called "the unofficial Mayor of South Tacoma." Steve's Cafe (later commonly known as Steve's Gay '90s), 5238-40 So. Tacoma Way, had their grand opening in April of 1951; it closed in 1977. Behind their carriage is a rider in one of the three mounted groups that participated in the 1952 parade. (TPL-8861)
Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1952 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Steve's Gay '90s (Tacoma); Carriages & coaches--Tacoma--1950-1960; Pease, Mary; Pease, Stephen O.; Pease, Dorothy Jean;
Dancing cadets in trim Navy white double breasted mess jackets, possibly the Bremerton "crew", followed by a band led by white clad majorettes in tall headgear, marches down the steep slope of 9th St. from Broadway to Pacific Ave. On the left can be seen the marquees for the Music Box (destroyed by fire in 1963) and the Roxy (now the Pantages.) The Winthrop Hotel can be seen on the right hand side.
Celebrations--Tacoma; Festivals--Tacoma; Parades & Processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1952 : Tacoma); Drill teams; Marching bands;
The Bon Marche float in the 1952 Daffodil Parade makes the turn from 9th onto Pacific Ave. followed by a flatbed truck full of young people.The Bon Marche was the third place winner in the commercial catagory. A Tacoma crowd estimated at 200,000 lined city streets in the sparkling sunshine to view the parade judged to be the "best ever." The crowd on 9th street is 9-10 deep, at one place looking like a human pyramid as the people in back stand on ladders. Others watch out of windows and from building awnings. (TNT 4-6-1952, pg. 1)
Celebrations--Tacoma; Festivals--Tacoma; Parades & Processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1952 : Tacoma); Floats (parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960;
The L.L. Hess and Son Furniture Co. float in the 1952 Daffodil Parade has the theme "Harmony in the Home" as it transports four barbershop quartets down the parade route. The conductor not only directs the singing, but also acts the barber, shaving the customer in the chair when the float is quiet. The Ballard Commercial Club Drill Team from Seattle, dressed in western cowgirl outfits, makes the turn from 9th onto Pacific Ave.
Celebrations--Tacoma; Festivals--Tacoma; Parades & Processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1952 : Tacoma); Floats (parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; L.L. Hess Furniture Co. (Tacoma);
Float sponsored by Tacoma Savings and Loan Association in the 1952 Daffodil Parade. This float with floral leaping goldfish and daffodil bedecked tall ship won the second place in the organization division. The parade kicked off in Tacoma at 10a.m. on Saturday April 5, 1952 with the 15 mile long parade moving north on Broadway to 9th Street, down 9th to Pacific Ave. and down Pacific to 19th Street. After Tacoma, the parade marched through Puyallup at 1p.m. and Sumner at 2:30p.m. The three sponsoring cities all elected princesses, and took yearly turns having the Queen elected from their ranks. (TNT 4-6-1952, pg. 1)
Celebrations--Tacoma; Festivals--Tacoma; Parades & Processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1952 : Tacoma); Floats (parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Savings & Loan Association (Tacoma);
ca. 1952. Float sponsored by the Mount Rainier Ordnance Depot for an unidentified parade, possibly May Day or Armed Forces Day, circa 1952. The float is populated by people dressed in costumes of different countries. It features cutouts of tanks and mobile units rolling up to the top of a globe emblazoned with "Unity, Strength, Freedom." The float is hung with red, white & blue bunting. Mount Rainier Ordnance Depot was located approximately 13 miles south of Tacoma between Ft. Lewis, Madigan Army Hospital and McChord Air Force Base. MROD was established in 1942 as a motor base to supply motorized equipment to the Western Defense Command. In addition, it received and repaired all motorized equipment from the Orient and Alaska. It was comprised of 3 warehouses, each more that 1/4 of a mile long, housing 80,000 different items ready for immediate shipment, and two large buildings containing shops and headquarters. It employed approximately 1,600 civilians ( a number that doubled during wartime.) TPL-10389
Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Mount Rainier Ordnance Depot (Tacoma);
Sixth Annual Daffodil Parade. Lakewood Community Center floats moves down Pacific Avenue passing Merit Paint Store with "cut-rate prices", Stationers, and Washington Hardware. T.Times, 4/1/1939, p. 1)
Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1939 : Tacoma); Floats (Parades);
Sixth Annual Daffodil Parade. Lakewood Community Center float passes the Riviera Theatre. Spectators line sidewalks. By 1939, only one stage theater, The Little Theatre, is listed in Tacoma; all others are motion picture theaters. (T. Times, 4/1/39)
Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1939 : Tacoma); Floats (Parades);
On April 1, 1939, all the best dressed parade riders were wearing daffodils. These two unidentified young women rode on a float credited to the sixth annual Daffodil Parade wearing dresses and hats made completely of flowers. They smiled brightly from under flower covered hats tied with chiffon bows underneath their chins and carried umbrellas.
Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1939 : Tacoma); Floats (Parades);
Admittance Day Parade in Olympia on November 11, 1939. Firemen aboard horse-drawn fire engine, sign on side reads "1883." The Admission Day celebration in Olympia was patterned after the original inauguration of Governor Elisha P. Ferry. The two mile parade travelled over part of the route of that original statehood celebration. Ben's Service Station, Maxwell dealer, and houses in background.
Washington State Golden Jubilee, 1939--Olympia; Parades & processions--Olympia--1930-1940; Fire engines & equipment--Olympia;
Tacoma Garden Club float in 1940 Daffodil Parade. This float took second place in Division 2, after the Central Labor Council entry. The truck bed was filled with a massive garden of blooming spring flowers and was skirted by golden daffodils. Photograph ordered by the Tacoma Times. (filed with Argentum) (TNT 3-30-1940, p. 1-description of float)
Parades & processions--Tacoma--1940-1950; Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1940 :Tacoma); Tacoma Garden Club (Tacoma);
1940 Daffodil Parade. Twenty six floats participated in the 7th annual Daffodil Parade on March 30, 1940. The sun only peaked occasionally through the clouds to view the floats covered in the sunshine yellow flowers. The Kiwanis Club float had daffodil seahorses hitched to a sea shell, the carriage of a beautiful blonde girl. (T. Times 3/30/1940, pg. 1))
Parades & processions--Tacoma--1940-1950; Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1940 :Tacoma);
Comic highlights of the 1940 Daffodil Parade. With the sun only peaking through clouds over the parade route, clowns added a note of humor. They took a "perfect sleeper" mattress from the F. S. Harmon float and threw it out on the route at 9th and Broadway. A steamroller, entered in the parade by Woodworth and Cornell, ran over the mattress, flattening it. A unique moment in daffodil history. (T. Times 3/30/1940, pg. 1)
Parades & processions--Tacoma--1940-1950; Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1940 :Tacoma);
1940 Daffodil Parade. Float on truck decorated with daffodils and fir tree branches. Wing-emblem feature of float and also pictured on the girls' sweaters. (T. Times)
Parades & processions--Tacoma--1940-1950; Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1940 :Tacoma);
This float is bearing her royal highness, Queen Marge I, Daffodil Royalty of 1940. Queen Marge I, 1940 Daffodil Queen, is seventeen year old Puyallup High School senior Marge Roscoe. Selected for her photogenic looks, Queen Marge is also a star on the school's debate team. She rides on the float from her home city of Puyallup, with a crown of daffodils and a regal robe of purple. She is flanked by attendants Lillian Kelly and Ella Reno. (T. Times 3/30/1940, pg. 1)
Parades & processions--Tacoma--1940-1950; Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1940 :Tacoma); Roscoe, Marge;
Narrows Bridge - McChord Field Parade, Port Orchard float. One of two floats entered by Port Orchard in the July 1, 1940, parade depicting an aerial view of the "new" Port Orchard, "Proposed Improvement of Port Orchard's New Waterfront." The aerial view is similar to an architectural model. (T. Times, 7-2-40, p. 1)
Narrows Bridge - McChord Field Parade, Tacoma Public Utilities, Light Department float. City Light and its counterpart, Seattle City Light, both sponsored brilliantly lit floats featuring dams during the July 1, 1940, parade honoring the opening of the (first) Tacoma Narrows Bridge and McChord Field. Tacoma City Light's large float was sculpted with representations of the Olympic Mountains, Cushman Dam, and the Narrows Bridge. The small children on the float are fishing, skiing, hunting, and boating. The designated theme was "Gateway to the Olympics." (T. Times, 7-2-40, p. 1).
Parades & processions--Tacoma--1940-1950; Narrows Bridge/ McChord Field Parade; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Public utility companies--Tacoma; Power plants;
Commerce Street Dog Parade, April 22, 1939. Children and dogs anxiously wait to hear the winners' numbers announced for 70 prizes awarded after the parade. Nearly 1,000 dogs were shown. Participants wear baseball caps they received. Each participant received a cap, an ice cream treat and a treat for their dog. (T. Times, 4/24/1939, p. 1)
Commerce Street Business Men's Club (Tacoma); Dogs--Tacoma--1930-1940; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Children & animals;
Nearly 1,000 dogs and their masters participated in the Commerce Street Dog (Mutt) Parade on Saturday morning April 22, 1939. Sponsored by the Commerce Street Business Men's Club, over seventy prizes were distributed to the winners in various catagories. No youngster went without some award, as each participant received a free ice cream bar, a baseball cap and a balloon - and every dog received a special treat. (T. Times, 4/24/1939, p. 1)
Commerce Street Business Men's Club (Tacoma); Dogs--Tacoma--1930-1940; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Children & animals;
Commerce Street Business Men's Club Dog Parade, April 22, 1939. A large crowd of spectators line the sidewalks along Commerce St., north and south of Ninth St. "Dave's Lunches/Billiards" sign projects over the sidewalk in the foreground, Winthrop Hotel on left. (T. Times 4/24/39)
Commerce Street Business Men's Club (Tacoma); Dogs--Tacoma--1930-1940; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Children & animals; Spectators--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
This truck covered in red, white and blue bunting and awnings was entered by one of the many "Townsend Clubs" in the July 22, 1939 Golden Jubilee Parade. The sign on the top promotes "The Townsend Plan for National Prosperity." A sign on the side reads "The Townsend Plan is the only Recovery Plan." Other signs promote "Townsend Plan gives our youth a chance" and "Work for Youth." Directly behind the cab of the truck ride several young women and under the awning ride several of the seniors that supported the Plan. The Plan was formulated in 1934 by Dr. Francis E. Townsend and called for a $200 a month pension for each retired person over the age of 60. The money had to be spent within that 30 days, insuring circulation of funds. It would be financed by a 2% federal sales tax. The Plan had a strong following among seniors, many who had their savings and retirement funds wiped out by the Depression. Although never adopted, the movement had a strong political base.
Washington State Golden Jubilee, 1939--Tacoma; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940;
Golden Jubilee Parade on July 22, 1939, on Pacific Avenue. United States Army band approaching spectators sitting on sidewalk curbs at left. Union Station in distance, on right, shrouded by gray sky. View of warehouse district buildings on left. Although the spectators are sparse here, more than 100,000 crowded into Tacoma streets to watch the 14 mile long parade.
Washington State Golden Jubilee, 1939--Tacoma; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940;
Golden Jubilee Parade on July 22, 1939. Formation of United States Navy sailors marching down newly paved Pacific Avenue. The sailors were part of the more than 4,500 military personnel who took part in the parade. There were also six battleships in dock at the time of the parade. Flags and banners are visible from every point. Good view of Washington Building, Puget Sound National Bank and other buildings in 1100 block, east side.
Washington State Golden Jubilee, 1939--Tacoma; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940;
Golden Jubilee Parade on July 22, 1939. Several people aboard buckboard drawn by four horses, sign on side reads "Elks 174." Parade spectators along street, two movie cameramen working at right. Review stand on Pacific Avenue held approximately 200 people. Parade and other activities held during July 16-23, 1939, celebrated Washington's fifty years of statehood.
Washington State Golden Jubilee, 1939--Tacoma; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Tacoma Lodge No. 174 (Tacoma);
Golden Jubilee Parade on July 22, 1939. Old 1900 South End Transfer "Lock, McLean, Dean" wagon drawn by horses being loaded with "Paul Bunyon Loggers" signs for Bone Dry Shoe Manufacturing Company. Richfield "Years Ahead" billboard in background.
Washington State Golden Jubilee, 1939--Tacoma; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Carts & wagons--Tacoma; Horse teams--Tacoma;
Golden Jubilee Parade on July 22, 1939, celebrating Washington's fifty years of statehood. Float sponsor Centennial was also celebrating their golden anniversary, growing from one small mill in Spokane in July of 1889 to an employer of 700 in four major mills in Tacoma, Wenatchee, Ritzville and Spokane. "Farm girls" ride the float next to golden shocks of wheat. In the back, a barefoot boy with his overalls rolled up leans against a small house. Centennial was located on Schuster Parkway, next to Sperry Mills. It was destroyed by fire in January of 1947.
Washington State Golden Jubilee, 1939--Tacoma; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Centennial Flouring Mills Co. (Tacoma); Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1930-1940;
Close-up of "Miners of '89" float entered in the 1939 Golden Jubilee Parade that celebrated the state's 50th anniversary. The float, a replica of Mount Tacoma (Rainier), was sponsored by the Negro Citizens of Tacoma. At least one "miner," with ax, is riding at the rear of the float. See D8652, image 17, for a general view of the float and spectators.
Washington State Golden Jubilee, 1939--Tacoma; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1930-1940;
