Imperial Valley press., 1941-04-13

WASHINGTON, April IL = This
is the time of year when Wash
ington stages its annual gamble
with the weatherman.
The bet is on the cherry bios
SONS. If they bloom on April u
okay. even if they're just in bloom
a little bit, but if a sudden cold
snaps holds back the bud-burSt-
ing business, as it did last year
well. the weatherman is a louise,
ret.
Bloom or no bloom. the cherry
blossoms festival begins April II
when good-lookin' Nancy Strong.
queen of this years affair, sur
rounded by her court OF comedies,
all done up in the traditional hand
e-down long nighties of spring
beauties. embark on a floWer-be
decked barge to cross the cherry
tree-bordered Tidal Basin, just
southwest of the Washington mon
ument. a-
Arrived safely at the other side
its about a half mile across
they debark and the queen re-
ceives a crown from the hands Of
this years queen-making politico,
Senator John H. Overton of Alex
andria, La. If it's cold the love-
lies will wear fur coats, and II the
cherry blossoms are not out, that's
Just their hard luck.
QUEEN PERCHES
FOR PICTURES
The toughest part of Queen
Nancy's Job is that for the past
three weeks she has had TO make
periodic visits to the Tidal Basin
to see how the buds were coming
along. Then, regardless of what the
thermometer and wind meter have
said, Nancy has had to strip off
her fur coat, perch gracefully on
q low branch Of cherry tree so
the photographers could take pic
lures of limbs-the cherry trees
and Nancy's.
The coronation ceremony is re-
peated Sunday, April 13, but from
then on the attraction is entirely
cherry blossoms. From the day
the trees start showing their stuff,
for 10 days or two weeks the best
advice anyone can be given is to
come to Washington only if you
have made all arrangements as to
where you1l lay your head at
night, unless you wish to come in
a trailer or bring a pup tent.
Tt- Ill yad
the defense effort weren't enough,
the Daughters of the American
Revolution will descend on the
town, 5000 to 5000 strong at the
least. Add to that the convention
Of the American Society of News
paper Editors and the annual
meeting of the Southern Society
of Philosophy and Psychology Then
consider that it's Easter week. and
that on this Easter Sunday the
first service is being held by the
presiding bishop of the Protestant
Episcopal church at the new altar
III the National Cathedral.
Adding 10 the crowding will be
convention OF the Red Cross and
United States Chamber of Com
merce, not TO mention the 10000
children, parents and nursemaids
who usually attend the egg rolling
on the White House lawn the Mon
day after Easter.
Easter week, too, brings an an
nual flood of excursions and pill
grimmageS of high school young
Sters on vacation. Special trains
from as far west as Ohio and as
for north as Boston park in the
yards at Washingtons Union sta
ton and serve as headquarters
far north as Boston park in the
The capital is actually planning.
for throngs bigger than it had for
the inauguration in January and
the visit of the British king and
queen two years ago.
HOTELS
PACKED
Hotels have long been booked up,
solid. The washington Board of
Trades Greater National Capital
Committee has brought out and
brought up TO date its Inaugural
ton list of 1000 rooms for rent.
The YW.C.A. has registry of 1000
rooms, and the American Automo-
bile Association has list of 600
The tourist and guide business
las gone up, too, and there is no s.