Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-20
WINCHESTER READY
TO RECEIVE 100000
Vast Throngs Again Expected
at Blossom Fete Thursday
and Friday.

special Dispatch to The Star.
WINCHESTER, Va, April 19.-week'
OF planning and preparation by nearly
two-score committees Of men anc
women, united in a common effort tC
pay tribute to the bounties of nature
IN the springtime, we're today revealing
goodly fruition on the eve Of the sew
erth annual Shenandoah apple blossom
festival, to be held here April "a and
70, to which 100000 visitors are ex-
pected.
Reports were brought to the Offices
OF Nelson F. Richards, director general
Of the fete organization, by committee
chairmen that their associates were
putting forth their best efforts TO make
the celebration of 1880 the best since
the festival was inaugurated. That
has been the aim of committees for the
past seven years, and in that hope they
have been quite successful. Most Of
those serving on committees have been
identified with the organization since
its inception, and they now proceed
with their plans and ideas like sea-
soned veterans.
Citizens Liberal.
Also. citizens of Winchester, although
often harried like those of other COM
n1unities by drives" for one or another
so-called worthy object, have given lib
orally to the expense fund OF the an
nual show which has done much 70
make their town talked about in most
of the States of the American Union.
two-day jollification In honor of Mr..
Johnny Appleseed, and, while generous
contributions are made by railroads,
fruit brokers and industries more or
less related to the apple business, the
burden of paying the bills rests on local
people and they express their faith
and approval by writing checks for
goodly sums and indicating there Is
more to be had If needed.
One Of the pleasing features of the
Virginia apple blossom festival Is that
virtually everything is free. The first
year or two visitors were charged a
general admission and then another fee
for special seats to see the various
pageants and parade review at the fair
grounds. Then the committee said 1t
was not Just Ito the manner born" for
q Virgtnian to invite his friends to his
party and ask him to pay to see the
show, so now about all visitor needs
money for is his meals and lodging.
And so solicitous are the citizens for
the pleasure and comfort of their guests
pledged not to raise their rates More
over, motorists who desire to park their
automobiles in vacant lots in the
suburbs are not only not charged a Zee,
but police are on hand to afford pro-
lection. Ones pockets are likewise pro-
tected as far as lies within the power
of the festival managers, for three
large railroad systems send a hundred
or so secret service men to the apple
capital" to prevent pocket-picking.
First Lady" Queen.
For the first time the festival will
have as its queen the "first lady of the
Commonwealth" Miss Suzanne Pollard,
pretty daughter of Gov. John Garland
Pollard. who, because of the invalidiSm
of her mother, acts as her fathers otfi-
cial hostess at the executive mansion
in Richmond.
The coronation of queen Shenan--
doah'' in the past has been a colorful
ceremony. but this years GROWING Of
her majesty promises TO surpass In
beauty and splendor those of other
wears. Gov. Pollard and staff viii be
there, and the governors Of West Vir-
pinia. Pennsylvania and Maryland have
been invited. The Richmond Light
Infantry Blues, whose uniforms OF blue,
white and gold have excited the ad-
miration of countless thousands az
presidential inaugurations and many
other State occasions, will be queen
Sues" personal escort. Then, too, she
Is to be attended by q couple score OF
princesses, some maids of honor, crown
bearer, train bearer, pages, heralds WITH
long silver trumpets. special bodyguaros
and testers, all costumed to give de-
cided flavor Of Old World pomp and
pageantry.
The browning of the queen takes
place Thursday afternoon in front OF
the Handley High School Building, oc-
cupying the center of 72-acre campus.
The ceremony is held on an esplanade
between the great colonial porch ana
the athletic stadium. At its conclusion,
the queen is escorted pompously to her
throne chair of gold, from which she
and her royal household witness the
presentation of a pageant of life and
its development in the Shenandoah
Valley, given by 500 school boys and
girls on the stadium stage. The mu-
steal score is played by the United
States Navy Band under the direction
of Lieut.. Charles Benter. In the late
forenoon of the first day 10000 school
children of Virginia and Brunswick,
Md, and vicinity, with numerous arts
tic floats in competition for money
prizes, hold the parade of the human
buds There will be 10 or II divisions,
each headed by band.
School Cadets to Be Present.
With the festival coming after the
Easter holidays, participation is assured
of a larger number of military schools
than had the celebration occurred
closer to the Christian festival. Girls
seminaries and colleges will also be rep
resented, some by floats, while the entire
student body and faculty of Harrison
burg State Teachers College, number
ing around 900, will parade in specially
designed costumes with their artistic
float. These organizations and most OF
the visiting fire companies and railroad
delegations will take part in the second
DAYS program, the chief feature OF
which is the triumphal procession led
by the festival queen, riding in state
high on throne of gold decorated in
pink and green, the apple fete colors
The parade passes through princlpa
streets and on reaching the winchester
fair grounds the queen and her party
enter the royal boxes Of the grandstand
and there review the parade as II
marches around the race track anc
passes out gate TO disband.
The four States of the Blue Ridge
ample country''--Virginia, West Virginia
PENNSYLVANIA and Maryland-wil bt
represented in the parade held in honor
of Queen Shenandoah VII" Tit
appIe-growing counties of southeastern
Pennsylvania will be represented col
Iectiyely this year for the first time. a!
that portion of the Keystone Stat
grows large quantities of commercial
apples.
"Pennsy'' TO Head Division.
THE railroad division will be headed