Evening star., 1951-04-08

|
mated at $4,000 jammed into what
--<---
Pictures Of Cherry Blossom Festival and
Crowds on Poee All
turned out to be too limited space
at the Jefferson Memorial yes
terday afternoon for the first per-
formance of "The Story of Spring"
festival pageant climaxed with
the crowning of 25-year-old Queen
Maldi Tarris.
A whopping 1926 cars were
counted from 6 am. to 8 pm.
rounding the pink-fringed Tidal
Basin. Police bravely guessed the
cars contained exactly 137,1S4 in
dividuals. .--.--..- -...,-....
Mercury Hits IA.
It was so Warm-the tempera-
ture officially hit "a at mid-after-
noon, equalling the seasons high
that many strollers and pag-
eant-watcherS took off their coats.
The 72 blossom princess, most Of
them wearing strapless evening
gowns, acquired pinkly sunburned
shoulders.
But prospects are different to-
day.
Rain beginning early this morn
ing was predicted gloomily by the
Weather Bureau last night. It's
expected to continue intermit-
tently through the rest of the day,
and even in the evening, said the
forecaster.
The bureau frankly warned that
1T doesn't look good" for todays
festivities-the repeat perform
ance of the pageant at 2:3o pm,
and at pm. finale-with-fire.
works, both scheduled at the JET.
ferson Memorial.
To Go on Despite Rain.
| But both still are set ofiicially
to go on. And they may, even II
/ it means raincoats and umbrellas.
Yesterdays sunshine - unex-
pected by the Weather Bureau
almost proved too much OF q
good thing when it came to get
ting the afternoons pageant
started.
So many people set out for the
Tidal Basin that some Of the
shows key performers were
caught in the jam. It delayed
the opening fanfare for IS min
utes.
Sam Jack kaufman, leader Of
the orchestra, was among the
missing. and as this state Of af-
fairs persisted. Celebration Chair.
man Edward Carr took over for
a rendition of the Tennessee
Waltz"
Producer Also Late.
When Mr.. kaufman did appear.
Producer Joel Margolis still wasn't
on hand, so there was another
wait. The audience spread over the
entire steps of the memorial and
out onto the surrounding lawns,
and latecomers - discouraged -
were turning back to stroll around
the basin.
The show finally got going in
earnest. Ballet dancers leaped.
Haitian dancers-men bare to the
waist. women in gay dresses with
bright bandannas and sashes-de-
picted banana harvest and re-
lease from servitude. A chorus and
a male quintet sang. There was
piano playing. and comedy act,
and more dancing.
Finally came the climax-the
presentation of 81 American prin-
cesseS and 20 from Latin America.
followed by the coronation of the
queen. Interior Secretary Chap
man did the honors, and her
- beauteous, 25-year-old
Maldi Tarris of Wyoming-beamed
on the throng. She declined to
make speech.
To Get FirSt-Aid Treatment.
The sea of onlQokers clapped en-
Enthusiastically, then-after the A.
male looked toward home. The
traffic jam that followed made it's
mark through much of the sur
area. and it made the
one that had been going on all
day seem mild. Even the motor
cade of smiling princesses was
held up.
Considering the size of the
crowd. there were few casualties.
Twenty persons received f1rst-aid
treatment at the Red Cross tent
several for a spring variety of
heat prostration, four for blisters
on their feet. One, woman was
treated for an ankM injury suf-
fered in a fall on the steps.
There were several announce
ments of lost children over the
public address system. but all ap-
parently were found soon.
At least two notables from the
(see BLOSSOMS, Page A-5o