Evening star., 1948-04-30
Apple Blossom
Parade Is Led
By Bing Crosby
New Queen Reviews
1000 Children in
Festival Pageant
By Robert c. RoIlines
Star SfoH Correspondent

WINCHESTER, Va, April 30
With Queen Shenandoah XXI
relgning supreme and Bing Crosby
acting as marshal of the grand fea-
ture parade, the annual Apple Bios
som Festival went gayly into its
second and last day.
In contrast to yesterdays cloudy
and occasionally rainy weather, the
sun shone brightly. A soft breeze
added to the ideal festival weather,
as more than 100000 visitors
jammed this small valley town. It
will be partly cloudy with temper
atures close to 60 this afternoon,
the Weather Bureau said.
Today's events included a repeat
performance of the 75-minute pag-
cant, Our Heritage-a Pageant Of
Springtime, in which more than
1000 Winchester school children
participated. There also was to be
massed band concert, with Is
musical organizations taking part,
and the annual Blossom Ball at the
armory.
But the grand feature parade, led
by the Hollywood star, is the high
light OF the day. The parade was
to comprise four divisions of more
than 125 units, including many
colorful floats, bands, drum and
bugle corps and cadet corps.
$4,000 View Coronation.
A crowd estimated at $4,000 per-
sons by Tom w. Baldridge, director
general of the festival, witnessed
the coronation on the Handley High
School grounds of Miss Gretchen
Van Zandt Merrill. national wom-
ems skating champion, as festival
queen yesterday.
As Buglers lined the 50-odd steps
that lead from the high school
building down into the large bowl
the royal princesses we're escorted
to their places by cadets of the
Massanutten Military Academy.
The queen took her place with
her maids of honor. the Misses
Adelaide Coble and Jo-Anne Arm
strong, both of Winchester: her
trainbearers. the 5-year-old triplets,
Betty Jean, Carol Ann and Temple
Lee Creedle, and the crownbearer,
James Kenneth Robinson, jr., s.
Miss Merrill then was presented by
the minister of state, Rear Admiral
Morton c. Mumma, jr., U. s. NJ,
retired.
Blond, brown-eyed Miss Merrill,
a 22-year-old Bostonian, "solemnly"
promised to govern her domain with
prudence and justice, according to
the laws and customs of the same"
Then she knelt and the prelate
of the church, the Rev. James B:
Roe, took the crown from the bearer
and laid it in the hands OF the
minister of the crown, Gen. Hoyt
S. Vandenberg, chief of staff f-desig-
nate of the Air Force.
Ascends Her Throne.
Following a prayer by Mr.. Roe,
the queen received scepter from
the prelate. to whom it had been
handed by Miss Shirley Cromp-
ton. Princess Winchester. Then she
received key to the city from Miss
Cora Wells, Princess Handley
AS he handed over the latter, the
minister of State said:
Receive this golden apple and
remember to pray for Gods blessing
upon the trees that we may gather
in the harvest of apples and rejoice
in his goodness"
After dance by Miss Shirley
Long of Winchester, the queen and
her court descended the steps to the
royal viewing stand for the pageant,
which was written, directed and mar
rated by Garland r. Quarles, super
intendent Of Winchester schools.
| During wedding scene in the
pageant rain, which had been
threatening most of the afternoon,
began to fall. A few spectators left,
but the most of them stayed
Among the princesses are Blanche
Harrison Shackelford, Carolyn Page
Thomas, Patricia Anne Jerman and
Helen Gillis Bennett, all of WASH
ington: Ellen Finley Andrews and
Frances West Brown, Staunton, Va;
Sara Hughes Long and Susan Look
Dickinson, Front Royal, Va; Muriel
Harmon, Fredericksburg, Va; Ele-
amor Carroll Koenig, Alexandria,
and Carol Louise Young, Waynes-
boro, Va.
A group of eight Fairfax County
majorettes won first place in their
class in the firemen's torchlight
parade last night. When a group
of five was delegated to receive the
prize. Joyce Goode, Is, one of the
majorettes, tainted from the ex-
element. She was quickly revived,
bnuaver opd e,IHaraJ M Ill sa.,t.