Billye Fairchild strikes a pose in her Jantzen swimsuit in a field of Spring daffodils in March of 1934. She smiles gamely, despite what is undoubtedly chilly Northwest Spring weather. She is providing a little "cheesecake" for the first annual Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival, to be held March 17-18, 1934. Miss Fairchild lists her occupation in the 1934 City Directory as waitress and her address as 1120 So. 14th Street. Miss Fairchild was also chosen as Tacoma's royal attendant for the 1934 festival.

The organizers of the first Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival in March of 1934 were not above using a little "cheesecake" to advertise their fledgling flower festival. Three bathing beauties, left to right, Frankie Cowan, Betty Brumbaugh and Billye Fairchild, pose in a field of bright yellow daffodils as a promotion for the first annual Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival, March 17-18, 1934. The flower festival, loosely patterned on the Dutch flower festivals held around Easter, started with a small group of organizers and a budget of $600 and grew to one of America's oldest flower extravaganzas. TPL-9418

In March of 1934, (l to r) Frankie Cowan, Billye Fairchild, and Betty Brumbaugh wearing long Spring dresses and stylish hats posed in a field of bright yellow daffodils to help advertise the first ever Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival. Several days before the parade, Puyallup lawyer Herman Zander had still not selected a Festival Queen. Mrs. Elizabeth Lee Wooton of Puyallup was finally selected when he saw her stroll by his office window. Billye Fairchild was selected the Queen's attendant from Tacoma. In the early days of the Festival, pre-1950s, the Queen had to be from either Sumner or Puyallup. TPL-9812

Organizers of the first Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival in March of 1934 were not above using a little "cheesecake" to advertise their fledgling flower festival. Left to right, Frankie Cowan, Betty Brumbaugh and Billye Fairchild pose in thirties swimsuits in field of bright spring daffodils. The first festival was the brain child of Tacoman Lee Merrill and was loosely patterned on the Dutch flower festivals held around Easter. The 1934 event included the reign of the first Daffodil Queen, Elizabeth Lee Wooten, a parade (then called the "procession") and "Bulb Sunday," where visitors were invited to motor out to the fields and view the blossoms.

Three bathing beauties, left to right, Frankie Cowan, Betty Brumbaugh and Billye Fairchild, pose in the chilly spring air in their swimsuits and goosebumps amid the bright yellow daffodils. They are advertising the first annual Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival in March of 1934. The festivities, originated by Tacoman Lee Merrill, would include a Queen, a parade and a "Bulb Sunday." On Sunday, area residents were encouraged to motor out and view the daffodil fields. The first festival had a total budget of $600.

Frankie Cowan can hardly hold back a laugh. She is heartily enjoying posing in a field of bright Spring daffodils as a promotion for the first annual Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival in March of 1934. Miss Cowan is Frances Cowan, a saleswoman at the Peoples Store who resides at 621 So. Yakima Ave.

Billye Fairchild, Frankie Cowan and Betty Brumbaugh pose in flowered spring gowns and picture hats in a field of yellow daffodils advertising the first Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival in March of 1934. The brainchild of Tacoman Lee Merrill, the first Festival had a tight budget of $600 and not many supporters. The parade, then called the procession, took place on March 17,1934. It began at Union Station and wound its way through downtown Tacoma, followed by Puyallup, Sumner & Orting. Area businesses and clubs, still recovering from the Great Depression, contributed decorated horses, bicycles, busses, autos and a few floats plus marching bands and drill units. The Queen, Elizabeth Lee Wooten, was selected a few days prior to the Festival as she walked down a city street in Puyallup. TPL-3148

Betty Brumbaugh poses with the air of a model for this promotional photograph for the first annual Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival in March of 1934. Betty is most probably Elizabeth Brumbaugh, listed in the 1934 City Directory as a saleswoman at the Peoples Store and residing at 424 No. Yakima. Elizabeth was the daughter of Rev. Roy T. Brumbaugh, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. She later married Norman Donaghue and moved out of the state.

An enthusiastic crowd watched in awe as the first Daffodil Parade rolled by in 1934. The parade, designed to use the leftover daffodil blooms that were formerly thrown away when the bulb was harvested, has become a much anticipated annual feature of the spring festival. There has been a parade every year since 1934, with the exception of the war years of 1943, 1944 and 1945. In 1934, the parade consisted of decorated horses, bicycles, flower covered automobiles and a few floats. It started at Union Station and continued uptown. It later travelled to Puyallup, Sumner and Orting. In this photograph, two flower bedecked automobiles pass by delighted spectators.

On March 17, 1934 at 1:30p.m. in the afternoon, the first Daffodil Parade rolled out from Union Station, proceeded uptown through Tacoma and later through Puyallup, Sumner and Orting and on into history. There has been a parade every year since 1934, with the exception of the war years of 1943, 1944 and 1945. The parade in 1934 was composed of decorated horses, bicycles, automobiles and floats. This vehicle covered with the early spring blossom was sponsored by the Lions Club, a civic organization.

Manning's Coffee supplied one of the most elaborate flower covered "floats" in the first annual Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival parade held on March 17, 1934. Still recovering from the Great Depression, most clubs and businesses were unable to contribute in a big way; decorated cars, busses, bicycles and horses were more common then traditional floats. Manning's Inc., located at 1102 Commerce, specialized in coffee; they also had a market at the same location and a restaurant at 258 So. 11th.

A young rider, dressed in chaps and a flower decorated hat, posed on a daffodil festooned horse ready to ride in the first annual Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival parade on March 17, 1934. The main viewing area was 11th & Pacific, where the parade passed with daffodil bedecked autos, busses, bicycles, carts and horses, as well as marching bands and drill teams. Still reeling from the Great Depression, business and club entries in the first parade were modest when compared to later years.

This daffodil decorated horse and driver were one of the entries in the first Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival parade in 1934. The two wheeled cart was advertising Will Rogers in the motion picture "David Harem" playing at the Roxy Theater. Most of the entries in the first parade were modest when compared to later years. The parade began at Union Station, travelled through downtown Tacoma then on to Puyallup, Sumner and Orting.

A child rode in the large wicker basket atop a flower bedecked automobile in the first Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival parade in March of 1934. The early Daffodil Festival parades were held in late March at a time when the golden daffodils were blooming profusely. This float was sponsored by Mannings Inc., a tea and coffee dealer. Few entries in that first parade were as lavish as this one. Awards were given in eight categories in 1934: best pony, best horse, best bicycle, best Valley Exhibit Car, best Garden Club float, best service club float and best commercial division float. Mannings took the best commercial float honors for their beautifully decorated entry. (T.Times 3-19-34, p. 1-article; p. 5-alternate photograph)

ca. 1935. The Rotary Club, almost always represented in the Daffodil Parade, entered this flower covered car in one of the early parades, most likely 1935. The automobile has so many flowers that even the wheels are covered with their own bouquets.

ca. 1935. This float was entered in one of the very early Daffodil Festival parades, most likely 1935. A grass covered car is topped by a daffodil basket in which sit two charming cherubs. The two children are dressed formally, he in top hat and tails and she in a white bonnet. The floats at this time period were very simple; usually flower covered cars or mounted on the flat beds of small trucks.

Margaret Thomas, crowned Queen Margaret I of the 1935 Greater Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival, smiles serenely over her bouquet of daffodils. The twenty three year old from Sumner was the first Queen chosen in an actual contest. Queen Margaret was selected from a field of ten candidates. The very first Festival Queen, Mrs. Elizabeth Lee Wooten, was selected by a committee without a contest. Until the mid-1950s, the Queen was always from Sumner or Puyallup, the birthplaces of the daffodil industry.

The 6th Avenue Business Men's Club entry in the 1935 Daffodil Parade and the winner of the $25 Sweepstakes prize for best float. The float features a flora replica of the Narrows Bridge. Disaster was narrowly averted the night before the parade when decorators ran out of flowers at midnight with the float unfinished. A delegation of volunteers journeyed out to pick 3,000 daffodils by moonlight at the Fox Island fields of Arthur Wright. The float was finished and declared the best of the fifty entered floats. It has over 18,000 blooms. (T. Times 3/25/1935, pg. 16) (filed with Argentum)

Floats (parades)--Tacoma--1930-1940; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1935 : Tacoma);

The John Dower Lumber Co. float in the 1935 Daffodil Parade. This floral tribute was the first prize winner in Division IV, commercial entries. It displayed a miniature house, all constructed of daffodils, with real glass windows.

Floats (parades)--Tacoma--1930-1940; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1935 : Tacoma);

The viewing stand for the 1935 Daffodil Parade, a daffodil fountain erected in Broadway Square, at 9th and Broadway. The framework for the fountain was 25 feet square and 25 feet high and was constructed by carpenters on loan from the Fisher Co., Rhodes Department store and the Hotel Winthrop. Into its chicken wire framework were thrust 100,000 daffodil blossoms, giving it a fresh, sunny yellow glow. Over 175,000 blossoms were used to decorate Pacific Avenue and over a million were used on the floats. (filed with Argentum)

Floats (parades)--Tacoma--1930-1940; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1935 : Tacoma);

Merrill Almanac's entry in the 1935 Daffodil Parade. Two people pose by a decorated basket with "Merrill Almanac" on its side by the Seymour Conservatory in Wright Park. (filed with Argentum)

Floats (parades)--Tacoma--1930-1940; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1935 : Tacoma); Seymour Conservatory (Tacoma); Wright Park (Tacoma); Greenhouses--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Flower bedecked automobile used as Tacoma Seed Company float in the 1935 Daffodil Parade, parked in front of the Seymour Conservatory at Wright's Park. Sign on float reads "Tacoma Seed Co. headquarters for Von Zonnevelt Farm Bulbs."

Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1930-1940; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1935 : Tacoma); Seymour Conservatory (Tacoma); Wright Park (Tacoma); Greenhouses--Tacoma--1930-1940;

The 1935 Daffodil Parade proceeds down 9th in front of the Roxy, now the Pantages. The 25 foot "daffodil fountain," the royal viewing stand, can be seen at the intersection of 9th and Broadway. The Girls' Drum & Bugle Corps of the John R. Thompson Post of the USWV is caught in mid action prancing down the street followed by a floral laden automobile, sponsored by the National Farmers' Union of Puyallup. Up the hill on 9th can be seen the Music Box, Rialto and the First Baptist Church. Crowds, many layers thick, have turned out to view the parade. (TDL 3/24/1935, pg. 1)

Floats (parades)--Tacoma--1930-1940; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1935 : Tacoma);

Queen Margaret I, Margaret Thomas of Sumner, and her four attendants pose on their Daffodil Parade float on March 23, 1935. The attendants are, left to right, Irma Jane Janig, Sumner; Billie Barto, Puyallup; Olive Chervenka, Sumner; and Evelyn Mellinger of Tacoma. The 1935 parade was the second annual.

The float entered by the Medosweet Dairy, second place winner in Division IV, commercial entries. The float is centered around a huge bottle of milk covered with flowers. Two tones of daffodils were used to represent cream and milk. (filed with Argentum)

Floats (parades)--Tacoma--1930-1940; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1935 : Tacoma); Medosweet Dairies, Inc. (Tacoma);

A Sumner-Orting-Fairfax-Tacoma bus festooned with daffodils; the Constanti entry in the 1935 Daffodil Parade. The floats lined up on Jefferson Avenue, preparing for the parade on Broadway and Pacific Ave.

Floats (parades)--Tacoma--1930-1940; Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1935 : Tacoma);

ca. 1936. This float was entered by the city of Puyallup in the Daffodil Parade in the mid to late 1930s. Daffodils and crepe paper streamers cover the truck where uniformed Girl Scouts ride on the bed. The girls hold an American flag and a second flag, possibly the Washington state flag.

A flower bedecked car representing the Tacoma Seed Company passes in front of the reviewing stand for the 1936 Daffodil Parade. The 35 foot tower made of 200,000 daffodils was erected at South 10th and Pacific Avenue. Queen Helen Edgerton and her court viewed the parade from this vantage point after the passage of their own float. 35 floats with hundreds of thousands of blooms thrilled the parade watchers. (T. Times 4-17-36, p. 1-article; T. Times 4-18-36, p. 1-article; T. Times 4/20/1936, pg. 3)

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1936 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma--1930-1940; Reviewing stands; Daffodils; Automobiles--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Like flower fairies, Mary Frances Cavanaugh, left, and Weda Claire Dykeman peek and smile from the inside of giant daffodil blossoms during the 1936 Daffodil Parade. Mary Frances is the daughter of Cecil Cavanaugh, of Cavanaugh Lumber Co., and Weda Claire is the daughter of Doug Dykeman. The 1936 Daffodil Parade was the third annual parade, and the first held in April. The first two parades were held in March. (T. Times 4/20/1936, pg. 3)

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1936 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1930-1940; Cavanaugh, Mary Frances; Dykeman, Weda Claire;

A small flower-covered float moves along Pacific Avenue during the 1936 Daffodil Parade and over the street car tracks. It passes in front of the reviewing stand at Tenth Street, presided over by the Daffodil Queen and her Court. (T. Times 4/20/1936, pg. 3)

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1930-1940; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1936 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1930-1940;