Evening star., 1951-04-09
Crowds S Umbrellas
AT Cherry Festival
Mostly Unopened
By jones 6. Deone

Washington's 1851 cherry bios
som festival was just a memory
today-a memory concoted of
traffic jams. sore feet, and winds
that blew both hot and cold, in
addition to the floral display that
was the crux of 1t all.
The blossoms were still there
today. but the formal celebration
wound up yesterday with the Sec
ond performance of the annual
outdoor pageant, plus an evening
program climaxed by fireworks.
Umbrellas Stay Rolled.
The wind-up fooled the Weather
Bureau. A mere one-hundredth
Of an inch Of the rain 1t had fore
cast actually materialized. so the
festivities went right on as sched-
uled Ca little delayed by the traf-
fic). Most people didn't have to
open their umbrellas.
A throng estimated at 10000
only a little smaller than Satur-
day's-packed the Jefferson Me-
mortal steps again for the pag-
cant. Another $4,000 were back
for the evening finale. And 39,-
525 cars-even more than Satur-
day-were counted from 6 am. to-
6 pm. rounding the pink -fringed
Tidal Basin.
The days turnout of blossom
viewers, as estimated by police,
exceeded 233,000. 1t brought the
total. for the week end to nearly
100000.
Eight of them were arrested
yesterday for picking blossoms.
Coats and fur wraps testified to
the contrast with Saturdays per-
feet weather. Even though the
rain held off, the mercury got no
higher than a chilly 81. and the
II evening -gowned blossom prin-
cesses and their queen shivered in
light jackets or raincoats bor-
rowed from escorts.
Queen D0ffs Crown.
Queen Maldi Tarris from Wyo-
ming, who today went back to
being an ordinary Government
girl, was a star at both the days
events.
She wasn't re-crowned at the
af{nrrnan noonorf Shn Sno |
supposed to be. But. wearing her
crown already as she was intro
duced, she declared she was
having a wonderful time" and
considered herself "the most for
tunate of the Cherry Blossom
Queens" because Il have the love-
liest court"
In the evening. as colored
searchlights played back and
forth on the cherry trees, the royal
party and assembled subjects
paid tribute to Pah-American
solidarity.
Senator Margaret Chase Smith,
Republican, of Maine said the
world can well look to our ma
tions Of the Western Hemisphere
for hope for a bright future"
Senator Smathers, Democrat, Of
Florida, declaring that the 81
American countries know the
meaning of peace" accused the
Communists of erecting a new
form Of Trojan horse" with false
talk of peace. He said last weeks
conference of American foreign
ministers "has thrown a monu-
mental roadblock" in the Com
munists' path.
DIR. Lleras Speaks.
DR.. Albert Lleras, secretary
general of the Organization of
American States, said the friend
ship of the 81 American repub-
lies "shines like a cleaning beacon
to the world" He cautioned, how
ever, that I'VE still have far to
go before we can call (ouD way
Of life perfect"
The Marine Band played Sou
sa's Hands Across the Sea" and
THE Diplomat" and beauteous
Sandra Stahl-Miss Washington
of 1950-Sang "Serenade" from
Romberg'S Student Prince" JUS I
tin Lawrie's singers sang, too.
And Radioman John Cameron
Swayze quoted from a speech of
Theodore Roosevelt.
Then came the fireworks, spec $
tacular multicolored bursts high
in the sky which made such loud {
conclusions that at least go per-
sons in widely scattered sections
of the city phoned police in alarm.
Many asked whether it was an I
atomic attack, police headquar-
ters reported.
Several phone calls also were
received by The Star.
The weather experts weren'tI
Just sure why their dire predic-
tions went awry. It was raining
all day as near as Front Royal,
Va.-about 40 miles away-and
the same clouds were supposed to
pull in here, too.