Evening star., 1941-05-01
Winchester
Begins Apple
Blossom Fete
Queen Opens 1t With
Tour to See Few
Remaining Blooms
By MIRIAM GUTENBERG,
Star staff Correspondent.

WINCHESTER, Va, May IAN
eager-eyed queen and her court Of
80 coed princesses, opening the 18th
annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom
Festival today went forth into the
orchards in search of blossoms and
found them. but not without diff
Guilty.
In fact, it took a bit of riding
about to find an orchard with enough
blooms to make a picture-purpose
of the tour-and even the remaining
petals were fluttering to the ground
as Queen Mollie Foulkes Lee and her
retinue posed.
1t was, all told, trif1e late for the
blossoms, in view of the early spring.
But the Festival Committee felt
that it was vindicated to an extent
in choosing the date, since there
were some blossoms left.
Commenting on reports that the
blossoms all would be gone before
festival time, Tom Baldrldge, di.
rector of the committee, waved an
arm about a blooming orchard of
late varieties of York and Delicious
trees and said: Somebody who
didn't know about blossoms must
have spread that word.
The Queens Gown.
The queen wore the gown in
which she was to attend the corona
ton this afternoon. Her bodice was
Of white satin with a line of pearls
down the front. Her skirt of many
layers of net was adorned with tiny
satin bows. From her shoulders
trailed a 15-foot train of heavy
white satin decked at the collar and
foot with seed pearls.
Carrying the train we're two
young girls from Manchester, Eng
land. They were Brenda Carter, Is,
and Betty Edmonds, Is. The latter
is daughter of the former Mayor Of
the English Winchester and is stay
ing with the Mayor here.
The two refugees confided that
they had gone to the White House
once, but this is even better"
Trailing around with the queen
was 7-year-old Ann Arthur, the little
crown bearer.
AS petals f1uttered down on the
dark curls of the queen, she gave
small shrek The photographers
had to stop their work while a bee
was unearthed from the second layer
of her skirt.
Town Has Holiday Air.
Although the queen will have off,
cial escorts throughout the two-dav
| festival, that chore was taken over
J during the morning by a corps of
/ enthusiastic State policemen, one Of
whom was heard TO say: She looks
! jlat like Deanna Durbin'
! With bunting draped on stores and
dangling from lampposts, the town
wore holiday air Some of the
were the schools. and the bank de-
/ clared a half holiday. The Festival
Committee was particularly en-
| thusiaStic about the sunshine.
The queens party arrived by auto
mobile last night after brief stop
at the Mayf1oWer Hotel in Washing
ton, where Miss Lee was presented a
ticket to the Virginia Garden Tour
! sponsored by the Bundles for Britain.
There she was met by the VIM
chester Festival Committee, includ-
/ ing Mrs. H B. McCormac. her
| official hostess: Mrs. B. B. Dutton,
Mrs. Fred L. GlaiZe, jr.; Thomas
Baldridge, jr, director general Of
the celebration. and H. B. McCor-
mac, jr.; Mrs. George Kalbach and
Miss Margaret Snider.
Coronation To-Day.
After a dinner last night at the
/ home of Mrs. McCormac, the
queens party attended a pre-festi-
val dance at the Winchester Coll
| Club.
The tour this morning opened the
program of Governors DAY.
which will be featured by the COR
! Onation ceremony.
Edward R. Stettinius. jr.. of the
Office of Production Management,
was to place the crown in the the
formal ceremony at which Queen
Shenandoah will be attended by
military cadets and members of her
court.
The first formal presentation OF
the pageant will follow. About 900
boys and girls in costume are to
take part, with Garland r. QuarleS,
city school superintendent, acting as
reader. Mrs. Edward Barr and Miss
Katherine Pannill of the faculty will
direct the program. The score will
be played by the Handley Band, w.
H. McIlwee directing.
Tea Dance Today.
The queen and her attendants are
to be central figures at tea dance
in the late afternoon at the golf
club, and a few hours later the
festival ruler is TO hold reception
for princeSses and maids of honor
at the new National Guard armory.
During the festivities today. Ram
sey S. Black, Third Assistant POST
master General, will present the
queen one of the new defense bonds
in ceremonies at which he will be
assisted by Gov. Price and Post.
master w. Nelson Page of Winches.
ter.
Firemen of Winchester and nu-
merous cities and towns of the Shen-
andoah and Cumberland Valleys
will hold an old-time torchlight and
mummers' parade, starting at
O'Clock tonight, to be followed by
fireworks extravaganza at Handley
Stadium.
The official program also listed
numerous band concerts during the
day and evening, as well as a sky
show at the municipal airport.
The school pageant is to be re-
peated at l0:30 am. tomorrow. The
queens parade, often called the
Trail of the Pink Petals" is to get
under way at pm, concluding with
a massed band concert. The queens
ball at pm. tomorrow will bring
the celebration to close