Evening star., 1947-04-27
B,0U0 Visitors
Expected TO See
Apple Festival
Winchester Putting
Bunting Up, Keeping
Eye on the Weather
By Harriet Giffiths
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There is an air Of expectancy over
the city, reaching from the burst
ing buds in the apple orchards to
the hardware dealer tying pink
streamers to cans Of paint In q
window display.
The 14,oo0 people Of Winchester
are preparing to receive 125 600
visitors from all over the country
for the Goth annual Shenandoah
Apple Blossom Festival Thursday
and Friday.
Nature appears to be doing her
part, too, for 1t Is predicted that
with a little warm weather the
orchards will be approaching full
bloom on the festival days this
year. Last years festival was blos-
somlesS.
Flags Going Up.
AS O result of survey OF peak
bloom dates over a period of some
20 years, festival officials now have
fixed the Thursday and Friday near
est May as permanent festival
dates.
Flags and bunting In the official
festival colors, pink, white and
green, are going up on buildings and
across streets along the parade
routes.
Merchants are vying for attrac-
tive window displays, with blossoms,
apples and general spring motifs,
and apple products are on display
in candy. drug and grocery store
windows.
Business houses In general will
close both afternoons so everybody
may turn out for the coronation
of Miss Jean Cartwright Lane as
Queen Shenandoah Xxx, the pageant
Thursday and the grand feature
parade Friday afternoon.
Out at Handley School, students
and teachers have been fitting cos
tunes and rehearsing for two weeks
under the direction Of Garland r.
Quarles, superintendent of Win
chester schools, who has been writ
ing the pageant annually for IA
years.
This years pageant, which Mr..
Quarles developed during the
Christmas holidays, is entitled
"Forerunners-A Pagean Of Spring
time" Tt will be presented Friday
morning as well as Thursday after
noon in front of the school.
Mr.. Quarles took time out to ex-
plain that the "forerunners" theme
is carried out in depictions of the
signs of spring and the pioneers.
Writing the pageant, he said mod
estly. doesn't require any great
skill-the success of 1t depends upon
how well the ideas are carried out.
And you couldn't find 1900 adults
that would fall in and work on a
project the way these children do"
he said. The youngsters range from
the fourth to twelfth grade.
Sees Educational Value.
Cool weather has delayed outdoor
rehearsals this year, and last week
the children were wearing coats over
their light costumes as they worked
to perfect their performances.
Mr.. Quarles worries a little over
the time taken from studies to pre-
pare for the festival each year, and
is trying to get everything done
as quickly as possible. But he be-
lieves there is educational value for
the children in carrying out the
pageant together.
At festival headquarters in the
George Washington Hotel. tele-
phones ring necessarily and type
writer's and mimeograph machines
turn out thousands of communica-
tions, as officials work to arrange de-
tails, get out information and answer
inquiries from all over the country.
In the hotel lobby, tickets for the
pageant and parade are on sale.
Prices for the pageant are $3.50 in
the reserved section and $125 for
unreserved seats, and for the grand
parade, 81. Mail orders are accepted
and require 15-cent extra fee.
Capacity Business Expected.
Housewives are preparing for visits
from relatives and friends during the
week, and hotels, restaurants and
tourist homes are making ready for
capacity business.
Army military police have been
invited to take over the handling of
the large volume of traffic on the
festival days.
Churches will assist in providing
space for visiting bands and other
groups. Some of the groups have
been assigned lodging in neighbor-
ing towns.
And above all, everybody is
watching the weather. The de-
velopment OF the blossoms and
every thing depends great deal on
the weather from now on.
Other fruit trees, cherry, peach
and pear, already are in full bios
som, and warm weather with a
shower or two at the beginning OF
the week should make the apple
trees flower all out.
Trees Take A Rest
The weather during the next four
months is important also to the
apple growers. Hazards to the apple
crop would be freezing or abnormal
ly dry weather. hail. cyclones or an
onslaught of insect or fungus
plaques.
Growers anticipate less of q crop
this year than last, since, as one ex-
planned, after good year the trees
stake rest"
The festival queen, daughter OF
Governor, William Pres
ton Lane, will be escorted into Vir-
ginia today for the first prefestival
event-a visit to the Mountain
King" In the depths of Endless Cav
erns. a ceremony inaugurated more
than 10 years ago.
Miss Lane and her mother will
be met at Annapolis this morning
bv a delegation of festival officials
aud escorted to New Market, Va.
Princesses in Court.
Four young women representing
the horticultural societies of Vir-
ginia and three adjoining States
will be princesses in the queens
court during the festival. They are
Misses Eleanor Jeanne Roberts, Rev.
loc, Pa, a student at Pennsylvania
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