The Gloucester Daffodil Festival will celebrate its silver anniversary this weekend, marking 25 years of bringing the community together. Visitors to the festival, which will be held Saturday and Sunday on and around Main Street, will experience a mix of traditional activities and new features.
Once again, one of the highlights of this year’s festival will be Andre Viette hosting his national "In the Garden" radio program (WXGM 1420 AM) on Saturday morning from the colonial courthouse. He will then give a talk, titled "Gardening should be easy; gardeners should have fun," at 1 p.m., according to Denise Carter, special events coordinator with Gloucester’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism department.
"We’re also going to have a lot of cool displays at the festival this year," Carter added. She said the representatives from the U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal will again demonstrate the procedure for disarming explosives, in front of Harry Morris’s law office during the day Saturday.
This year, there will two car shows instead of one, Carter said. The Model A Ford Club will have its cars on display Saturday and then will putter along Main Street at 4:30 p.m., while the Middle Peninsula Classic Cruisers vehicles will be parked on display Sunday before also motoring along Main Street at 4:30 p.m.
The Court House Players will present two 10-minute skits in the colonial courthouse at noon and 3 p.m. Saturday, and the Rappahannock River Railroad group will set up miniature trains at the corner of Justice Drive and Main Street on Sunday.
One of the main features of the festival, the parade, will step off at 10 a.m. Saturday from Main Street Center and will continue to Justice Drive. More than 80 entries have been registered for the parade, Carter said.
This year’s opening event will begin at 11:15 a.m. Saturday and will feature a flag ceremony for the first time, Car-
ter said. The Gloucester High School NJROTC will conduct the ceremony. "We haven’t done anything like this before and thought we should do that," Carter added.
Visitors both days will be able to enjoy over 150 vendors that are taking part in this year’s festival.
This year, the Gloucester High School Jazz Band was unable to participate Sunday, so in turn, choral students from Bethel, Abingdon, T.C. Walker and Petsworth elementary schools will perform Sunday afternoon. "We’ll still have the schools like normal Sunday," Carter said, "but just a much younger version."
"We’re also going to have a lot of hands-on stuff," Carter said. A booth will be set up once again by Home Depot offering crafts and various children’s activities. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science will also have an education exhibit with hands-on activities. Finally, Carter said WHRO will have a free photo booth set up as part of its public radio promotion.
Tours of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs will be available on Saturday, Carter said. All tickets are $5 and buses will load at the corner of Duval Avenue and Main Street from 11 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Brent and Becky’s will also have a booth at the festival to answer gardening questions throughout the day.
The Magnificent Mutt Show is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday from the Main Street Stage.
Walk/runs
Races this year will include the traditional 5K from Ware House Landing Road starting at 8 a.m. Saturday. The two-mile Rotary Fun Run is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. beginning from the corner of Duval Avenue and Main Street.
Finally, a number of entertainment groups will be performing throughout the weekend at various areas on festival grounds, Carter added, and there will be a special children’s area near the food court with children’s games for 25 cents. "The Easter Bunny will also be here," she added.
Festival hours are Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Shuttles will be available Saturday transporting visitors to and from Gloucester High School to festival grounds, Carter said.
Grand marshals
Marking the festival’s 25th anniversary, the Daffodil Festival Committee selected the queens of past Daffodil Festivals to represent the county as grand marshals in the 2011 parade.
According to committee member Mary Boerner, 17 of the 22 past queens will be on a float in the parade and will also be introduced at opening ceremonies.
Past queens include Christy Allaun Fulcher (1988), Rebecca Young Shaw (1989), Shandy Baker Smith (1990), Katina Smith Keener (1991), Kristen Shackelford Collier (1992), Kelly Bonniville Satterfield (1993), Jennifer Orth Veillon (1994), Christel Grinnell Santiago (1995), Angela Lampart Rolly (1996), Lindsay Foard Williamson (1997), Katie Smith (1998), Michelle Smith Seaford (1999), Kristen Ratliff Horning (2000), Traci Smith Sacchetti (2001), Joann Kelly (2002), Ashley Beddingfield (2003), Elizabeth Shields (2004), Sissi Mise (2005), Heather Templeton (2006), Mary Sayle (2007), Danielle Martin (2008), Emily Satchell (2009) and Tiffany Foster (2010).
Boerner has been working with the queens since 1994. "Every year, somebody brings something different," she said. "I think it’s great the way they can get out and get involved in the community." Often, the girls have the opportunities to grow, such as learning to speak in front of groups.
"They’re all unique. They’re all special and all contribute something different each year," Boerner added. "I have enjoyed watching these girls grow into wonderful adults with wonderful families," she said.
Poster artist
Gloucester native Judy Rowe Mays is the winning 2011 poster artist. She is ongoing student at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Studio and studies with other professional artists in Williamsburg, where she current resides.
Her favorite medium is oils, but she also does portrait work in pastels.
She was inspired to paint "Dutch Masters," this year’s winning entry, after recalling her childhood years of picking daffodils that grew wild in the nearby fields of an old neighboring plantation.
Carter said there will be "25 Years of Daffodil" posters available, featuring smaller prints of past posters that are no longer available for individual sale in larger format.
Sweatshirts, bracelets and cups with "Got Daffodils?" will be on sale at the festival store located inside Court Circle, Carter added.
Scholarships
This year, Carter said the Daffodil Festival Committee is able to award a renewable four-year scholarship in the amount of $1,000 because of the success of the festival over the past years.
Applicants must be graduating high school seniors in Gloucester County. The scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, community involvement, extracurricular activities, an essay, and a letter of reference.
All applications are reviewed by independent judges, and the winner will be announced during the opening ceremony.
For more information about the festival, call the Gloucester Parks, Recreation and Tourism department at 693-2355.