Princesses ride tailwinds as spring breezes propel 86th Daffodil Parade through county
The flower petals were flying but the hair spray was firmly in place Saturday as the Daffodil Festival’s 86th Grand Floral Parade braved wind and the occasional shower as it wound through Pierce County.
Daffodil Queen Katie Gilbert and her 22 princesses were swaying to music and expertly shooting waves and smiles at anyone who came into view as they made their way down Pacific Avenue in Tacoma.
Just as the parade was getting underway, a placard with Sumner native and Food Network star Sandra Lee’s name blew off her convertible. A volunteer quickly reattached it.
Lee was the parade’s grand marshal. A pair of videographers with large cameras were shadowing Lee and her sister and niece who were riding with her.
“We’re thinking about possibly shooting a reality show called ‘Fam Lee’,” Lee said. “Right now, it’s just my pretend reality show.”
Lee is known for her “Semi-homemade” food brand and TV shows as well as being the partner of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Lee’s sister, Kimber Lee, was the community grand marshal. Honorary grand marshal was Puyallup Tribe of Indians Chairman Bill Sterud.
One of the tribe’s floats was a recreation of a traditional longhouse. It virtually floated down Pacific Avenue carrying over a dozen elders under a sturdy roof complete with heaters.
“The Daffodil Parade is always rainy, most of the time,” tribal member Chester Earl said. “This is a way to get our elders in a safe environment and still participate in the Daffodil Parade.”
Most of the 350,000 daffodils used in the parade stayed affixed to the floats, with children scooping up any escapees during the day-long journey to Puyallup, Sumner and Orting.
One unofficial entry — Kerry Hudson and Cathy Camper of Tacoma — were marching down Pacific Avenue while waving the Stars and Stripes. They were clad in red, white and blue clothing and handed out 50 smaller American flags to parade watchers.
“The two of us decided it would be a neat thing to come out and support patriotism,” Hudson said as he dodged a clown on a minibike.
Bagpiper Bob Wallace of Clan Gordon has been marching in the parade since the 1970s.
“We’ve got our rain gear on and just hoping it stays away,” Wallace said of threatening clouds.
Wallace, 77, and his clan had to keep a good pace Saturday while generating enough air power to make the pipes sing. He doesn’t smoke.
“I have the occasional whiskey, though,” he added.
Missed the parade? Here’s other chances
DAFFODIL FESTIVAL GRAND FLORAL PARADE
On TV: 10:30 a.m. Sunday KOMO 4.
JUNIOR DAFFODIL PARADE
When: 10 a.m. April 13.
Where: North Proctor Street at North 26th Street, Tacoma.
DAFFODIL MARINE PARADE
When: 11:30 a.m. April 14
Where: From Tacoma Yacht Club to Thea Foss Waterway.
This story was originally published April 6, 2019 at 3:41 PM.
