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Rose Festival— A Look at Our Flowery Past
Rose Festival— A Look at Our Flowery Past
Words and Photos Provided by Terry Ommen
he bygone historic Visalia Woman’s Club worked on many community projects during its more than 100-year history. From planting oak trees in 1922 along present-day Highway 198, to providing scholarships to local nursing students in 1943, the now-disbanded group proved to be an effective and important service organization that left its mark on a grateful community.
Most of its projects focused on community needs, but occasionally the civic-minded women directed their attention inward. In 1915, one such effort involved raising money to build a clubhouse. The result left no doubt in the club’s ability to raise funds while exciting the community at the same time.
The club had purchased a lot on S. Locust Street on which to build, but the ladies pondered how to fund the construction. The answer came with the successful two-day run of the Visalia Rose Festival. The idea of a festival wasn’t entirely original, but stemmed from the Hanford Woman’s Club’s own rose festival, held a year earlier. So with an example to follow, the Visalia ladies began planning their event.
On February 8, 1915, Sallie Larkins, wife of prominent local attorney, E.O. Larkins, and Sarah Grant, wife of well-known businessman Austin Grant, presented the rose festival idea to the Visalia Board of Trade. The two representatives of the woman’s club explained that roses were at their peak in April and that the event would attract many visitors to town. The ladies were convincing, and the board of trade gave their blessing to the idea. James T. Boyer, secretary of the board, R.R. Harris, and Alex M. Simons were appointed to assist the women.
So with this endorsement, they went to work organizing the festival. Flowers, especially roses, would play a central role in the event, so whether the activities were parades, displays, dinner, or dances, nature’s flowering blooms would be the theme. Yards and gardens throughout Visalia would become the fields to harvest the needed flowers.
Opening festivities of the event began on the evening of April 9, 1915, at the Riley Pavilion—a hall leased and operated by the Visalia Moose Club. It was completely decorated with flowers, with all the work done by members of the women's club. Opening night attendance exceeded expectations, and even with additional chairs, many had to stand in order to fit.
The festival began with a pageant called Dance of the Seasons performed by local young ladies. Maurine Toomey represented spring, Jennie Collins, summer, Dorcas Gilbert, fall, and Alberta Wishon, winter. As they danced for the audience, Marlowe Anderson played her trumpet and Edna Scott appeared. Edna was crowned “Queen of Flowerland” in a beautiful ceremony and was presented with a crown of roses.
The Dance of the Fairies was next. Six young ladies performed with precision in front of the audience, earning two encores. Next, another group of youngsters carried out a dainty flower dance dressed as adorable carnations, followed by young boys who marched on stage dressed as sunflowers. The evening ended with the hall cleared and open dancing continued until midnight.
The next day, festivities resumed at 10:30am with a floral street parade. Alex M. Simons, the principal of Visalia High School, was chosen to serve as Grand Marshal and led the parade. Parade entries included decorated automobiles, mounted riders, and decorated horse-drawn vehicles. A surprise entry was the 32-piece Australian Boys Band who just happened to be in Visalia on a goodwill tour. They were invited to take part in the festivities, and pleased the audience with their rousing rendition of “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary.”
From 11:30am to 2:00pm, the club served chicken dinners, and the public was invited. At 2:30pm an indoor children’s parade commenced inside the Riley Pavilion with most entries being flower-festooned baby carriages. Following the indoor parade, the hall was again cleared for dancing, as the final Rose Festival event.
Cash prizes were awarded in several categories, and a number of the participants caught the eye of the audience and the newspaper. The Visalia Morning Delta observed, “The car which probably received more favorable comment than any in the line from the bystanders, was Mrs. W.R. Spalding’s electric, driven by that lady, accompanied by Miss Virginia Perkins, which followed. The outfit was a picture of dainty floral decoration, modest in treatment, harmonious in color, artistic in design. The body was covered with fern leaves and real pink roses. Each flower was selected for its perfection, the finest yards in the Highland tract being searched for perfect specimens. Suspended in front of the dash were two large pink butterflies with outspread wings and the movement of the springs of the car, causing them to undulate, almost conveying the impression that the mammoth insects were pulling the silent, gliding vehicle.”
Praise for the Rose Festival came from all quarters. But none of the accolades were more glowing than the local Delta newspaper that opined, “Without the slightest doubt the festival was the most pleasing and the most successful venture ever staged in the city.”
A man named J.D. Cooper, who happened to be traveling through Visalia on business, commented, “…the Visalia Rose Festival outclassed any festival I have ever seen, and have witnessed the Santa Rosa Fête and the Portland annual event.”
The Visalia Woman’s Club was very pleased, too. Through the newspaper they expressed thanks to everyone who helped and attended. They proudly reported that $735.00 was netted from the event—an amount “which is rapidly nearing the point where the new clubhouse can be started.” Thanks to the Rose Festival, the new Visalia Woman’s Clubhouse was not only started, but finished at 401 S. Locust Street, and opened to the public for the first time on April 20, 1917.
