Along with the float we give girls from our local high schools, Franklin Pierce and Washington, the opportunity to grow and mature as they compete for the title of princess at their schools. Speaking as a mother of one of those girls, you would not believe the blessings and wonderful opportunities that are presented by being part of the Daffodil Royal Court. They are also awesome roll models for the younger children. One thing I bet you didn’t know is that if our community has no float then the following year our high schools are not allowed to have princesses. That is why it is so vital that we rally together to make this happen.

We need your help!

The theme for this years Daffodil Festival is, “ It Was All Just Rock and Roll”.  Just think of the fun we can have with this! What we are seeking from you is your financial support. We need to raise a substantial amount of money as we are going to be welding a new frame onto our existing chassis. This improvement will make the float lighter weight and more versatile. It will make it the job of putting the float together in the coming years a lot easier.

We also need your able bodied help. There is a lot of work to be done and if everyone chips in, well, you know the saying, “Many hands make light work.”

Donations of any size will be gladly accepted. Please make checks out to:

MRA/Float Committee (Midland Residents Association/Float Committee)
P.O. Box 44952
Parkland, WA 98444

Thank you for keeping our tradition alive!

Sincerely,

Midland/Parkland Float Association

Origin of the Daffodil Festival The Daffodil Festival, for all intents and purposes, was born on April 6, 1926 when Mr. And Mrs. Charles W. Orton were hosts to civic leaders from 125 towns in Western Washington. The Orton’s lived in rural Sumner and opened up their home for a garden party. The garden party was arranged so the guests could see the many varieties of daffodils in bloom in and around their estate. Among the many guests were the Mayors from Seattle and Tacoma. Major General Robert Alexander, Commander at Fort Lewis, brought a military band and a group of officers and their ladies from the Army post. After this first garden party, the event became an annual affair. Year after year, interest grew, (along with the ever expanding daffodil fields) until 1932, at which time "Bulb Sunday" came into being. The viewing of daffodils in bloom became fashionable, and, unfortunately created a massive traffic problem for Puyallup, Sumner and Orting, as up to 8,000 vehicles crowded the roads bordering the golden fields. No doubt, automobiles and owners were also vying for attention. The calamity of this congestion also brought a halt to "Bulb Sunday".
    "Parade Year" 1934 was to become "Parade" year. Well known Tacoma photographer and first secretary of the founding group, Lee Merrill, suggested that the daffodil blooms, which at that time were thrown away or used as fertilizer, be used instead as decoration for a Festival Parade. Automobiles were decorated with daffodils, bicycles followed in like fashion and together paraded through our city and neighboring Valley towns. The presence of a mounted contingent of the finest riding horses in the area, prompted their appearance each year to follow. The idea grew and presently the Grand Floral Street Parade travels through four Pierce County communities on Parade Day - Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner and Orting.
     In 2003 the Daffodil Festival will be 70 years old, and there has been a parade every year since 1934, with the exception of the war years of 1943, 1944 and 1945.
    Civic Pride - Our Pierce County Community has, for 70 years, viewed the Daffodil Festival as the premier headline event, second only to the Western Washington Fair. Every other major city in Washington State has a Festival and we in the community should be proud that the Daffodil Festival continues to be a significant event in the Pacific Northwest.