Washington State Apple Blossom Festival
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The Washington State Apple Blossom Festival is a festival held annually in Wenatchee, Washington, self-proclaimed the "Apple Capital of the World" due to the valley's many apple orchards. The Apple Blossom Festival is a two-week festival, running the last weekend in April to the first weekend in May.
The Festival includes a Grand Parade, a youth parade, an arts and crafts festival, A carnival, A food fair, and other amusements.
The Festival is estimated to bring over 100,000 visitors to Wenatchee, a town with a population of 29,022 in the 2004 census.
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[edit] The Youth Parade
The last weekend in April, the youth parade is run. The parade usually includes about 100 different groups, such as middle school bands, elementary schools, and local area businesses catering to youth. Awards are given for the most creative floats, best bands and drill teams, best use of festival theme, and best overall.
[edit] The Grand Parade
The Grand Parade is held towards the end of the festivities, during the last weekend of May. During the Grand Parade, High school bands, floats from local clubs, groups and businesses, Cars driving dignitaries and the Royal Court, and many more are run down the main street of town. Spectators have been known to set up folding chairs along the sidewalks of the parade route up to two months in advance in anticipation of the festivities. Awards are given to The best floats, best bands and groups, best use of theme, and many more.
[edit] Royal Court
Each year, a Royal Court comprising a Queen and two or more Princesses is chosen from among high school senior women. By the rules of the Apple Blossom festival High School senior women (ages 17-18) volunteer to run in the competition which includes many steps and cuts starting in the previous December. All contestants attend either of the two High Schools located in the Wenatchee Valley (Wenatchee High School and Eastmont High School).
The first step is optional based on the number of interested candidates. If a single school has more than 16 interested women they must perform a preliminary vote to the students to cut the candidates down to 16 or less depending on a decision by the royalty coordinator for each school.
The second step is the High School presentation. The girls are given a topic to speak on before the population of their school. The student body then votes along with a small panel of out of town judges to create the top ten.
After this vote is tallied the top ten is announced in a formal ceremony held at the Wenatchee Performing Arts Center. The rules of the contest state that there must be 5 girls from each school in the top ten.
The top ten candidates then go into a period of approximately two months in which they attend classes on etiquette and public speaking as well as other duties that are important for the Apple Blossom court to attend to. During this period the 10 candidates are given their final speech topic.
The last step is the Royalty pageant, held at Wenatchee High School in early February (usually around valentines day). This pageant includes a question and answer session, their final speeches, and an evening gown presentation. It is judged by a panel of out-of-town judges who perform interviews prior to the pageant to help in their decision. The judges are not told which High School the girls come from (to avoid any conflict of interest). At the pageant the Queen is crowned as well as her princesses (which recently has been limited to 2 but in the 1980's included the entire top ten). There are also other awards given including the most scholastic, most photogenic, best speech, and miss congeniality.
The queen and princesses then reign for one calender year representing the Wenatchee Valley and the apple industry in regional festivals through the year.
Junior Royalty are selected from among area 5th-graders, based on an essay they submit to the festival.
[edit] History
The Festival was started in 1919 by Mrs. E. Wagner, wife of the district's first apple shipper. The festival was first called "The Blossom Days", and Mrs. Wagner based it on festivals she had enjoyed in New Zealand during her childhood.
Previous Apple Blossom Royalty
1920 Q Fern Prowell Sipes + P Elizabeth Humphries Hamilton + P Beth Boblet Rogers +
1921 Q Florence Kratzer+ P Ruth Williams Johnson+ P Francis Faris+ P Marcu Flanagan Burton P Virginia Bird Ryan+ P Virginia Leedy Lund+
1922 Q Ruth Ella Adams Shively+ P Doris Cedargreen+ P Golda Hamilton+ P Janice Gellatly+ P Blanche Smith Sperline+ P Julia Newell+ P Helen Gauff Harris+ P Ella Newberry+
1923 Q Imogene Carpenter Sigrartsen+ P Nancy Bittick Ogan+ P Bernice Smith+ P Bernice Gellatly Green+ P Bertha Goff Barragan+ P Dorothy Zimmer Richardson+ P Marcella Steinacker+ P Mrs. Jack Tyrell+ P Mrs. N.F. Kerr+ P Latha Parsons Mowbray+
1924 Q Rowena Burns+ P Doris Ovendon Pollock+ P Betty Graham P Zelma Loudenback Batdorf+ P Marjorie Graham
1925 Q Hilma Erickson Disney+ P Bernice Burkhart Dingle P Francis Faris+
1926 Q Pauline Marler Finck+ P Lillian Welch Marler+ P Doris Cedargreen+
1927 Q Beatrice Mcgough Bearg+ P Marjorie Knapton Whiting P Ruby Dull Warren+
1928 Q Leona Watson Bommer P Nadine Stewart+ P Oretha Parkhill McKoin+
1929 Q Rosella Corle Etter+ P Oretha Parkhill McKoin+ P Shirley Foster Congdon
1930 Q Shirley Foster Congdon P Margaret Bird Gwinn P Helen Carol
1931 Q Carol McGough Congdon+ P Ovidia Lindston Blackburn+ P Jean Vermilya Cedargreen+
1932 Q Marjorie Munch Parkhill+ P Nadine Long Bartheau P Jean Vermilya Cedargreen+
1933 Q Lucille Baker Meenach P Vivian Reimer Whiteman+ P Dorothy Sampson Provo+ P Esther Barnes Roth
1934 Q Roberta Hensel Reimer+ P Lois Pfau Adams+ P Mary Jane Sistig +
1935 Q Jean Marlow+ P Isabella Haight Mutch P Mary Rose Berry+
1936 Q Jean Driver Jansen P Gertrude Webb Scroggie P Betty Fray+
1937 Q Janet Foster Conrad P Mary Armstrong Howell P Betty Keller Miller+
1938 Q Lois Joan Strong Deitrick+ P Doris Ames Hubbard+ P Susan Hilt Bryant
1939 Q Lois Ross Davidson P Dorothy Jean Smith P Kathyrn Woods Haley
1940 Q Patricia Clapp Thiele P Virginia Maus Sorley+ P Esther Mann Luehrs
1941 Q Miriam Corner Welty+ P Emma Jane Hansen P Jean Whitemore Ahlers
1942 Q Norabelle Roth Siegel P Mary Jean Stockstill Reich+ P Roberta Huffman Bulleri
1943 Q Shirley Garland Arch P Janet Martin Gadsby P Vivian Martin Elmaleh
1944 Q Clara Lee Davis Lumberg P Virginia Vandewater Bouchard P Barbara Yerxa Gilyard
1945 Q Patricia Lashinger Hauge P Ruthella Welch Skagen P Wilma O'Rear Simon P Mae McLean Hamilton P Shirley Witbeck Moore
1946 Q Elsie Beth Halvorson Maus P De De Hutchinson Stumpf P Jacquie Farrington Letts+
1947 Q Jean Olson Reems P Patricia Sugg Hellner P Lois Banghart Beall
1948 Q Jean Olson Reems P Patricia Sugg Hellner P Lois Banghart Beall
1949 Q Portia Thornton Murray P Carol Dennis Wedekind P Ruth Ann Jones Young
1950 Q Marylyle Cunningham Osborn P Drucilla Brennan Lingle+ P Joanne Brown Michael
1951 Q Lily Jo Hammans Trimble P Barbara Bell Monroe P Odetta Hamilton Molfatt+
1952 Q Virginia Click Cooney+ P Ann Ware Dutton P Jeannette Bommer Rudy+
1953 Q Carolyn Ellis Hamilton P Jean Low Ogsbury P JoAnn Heffner Derting
1954 Q Carol Jessup Peterson P Bev Shadbolt Brandt P Corinne Bellas Telford
1955 Q Sharon Kaye Redlinger Utigard P Judith Emerson P Anna Batterman Pieratt
1956 Q Jolly Ann Sachs Seyster P Trina Hansen Adams P Carol Sutton George
1957 Q Jewel Bergan Brumbaugh P Marilyn Dalvit Ash P Sande Gillette
1958 Q Ann Albertson Deal P Tonee Hansen Gwinn P Kris Whiteman Anderson
1959 Q Beverly McKoin Martin P Mary Stewart Olson P Sally Walker Pugh
1960 Q Peggy Kinney Magnuson P Kris Cedarwall Whoolery P Dae Hansen Duval
1961 Q Kathy Whiteman Chandler P Sharon Coon Lamar P Carmen Snitily Sirmon
1962 Q Polly Kinney Fields P Carolyn Billingsley Ortiz P Susan Looney Wallace
1963 Q Mary Radewan Heinz P Paula Barber P Janet Evans Johnson
1964 Q Lynn Nicholson Elmore P Nancy Conyer O' Halloran P Sheila Hildebrand Clennon
1965 Q Barbara Erickson Hepler P Kathleen Stockstill Waslenko P Amy Radewan Cunningham
1966 Q Patti Parkhill Cartmill P Sharon Wright Rietz P Janice Woods Conchuartt
1967 Q Leta (Patti) Scaman Baker P Joanie Stewart Hicks P Patty Harris Schultz
1968 Q Gail Ross Wenaweser P Rosemary Kells P Kathy Murren Mertes
1969 Q Linda Parkhill Shaughnessy P Kay Goff Law P Susan Mullen
[edit] External links
- Appleblossom.org, Official Washington State Apple Blossom Festival website
