PORT TOWNSEND — The Sequim Irrigation Festival float took the top award at the 74th annual Rhododendron Festival Parade on Saturday.
The float won the festival parade’s Grand Sweepstakes award.
The fate of the parade was locked in when sunshine, and dry weather, graced the day, parade director Rita Hubbard said.
“Look at this great weather,” she said Saturday. “How could this not be a great parade?”
The parade of floats, bands and other entries that moved through Port Townsend beginning at Lawrence streets was the finale of the week-long festival that began on Monday.
Highlights of the annual festival included Wednesday’s Royalty Trike Races. Thursday’s Pet Parade and Friday’s Kiddie Parade and Bed Races.
Today, the Jim Caldwell Memorial Rhody Open will begin at 9 a.m. at the Port Townsend Golf Course.
Registration will begin at the same time for the Rhody Run at Fort Worden State Park. The race will begin at 11 a.m.
The second day of the Rhododendron Flower Show will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fort Worden.
Parade planning
On Saturday, Hubbard said it was a difficult year for parade planning. The May 1 temporary closure of the Hood Canal Bridge to permit replacement of the eastern half hampered the travel of many floats and raised concerns about the reduced size of the festival’s biggest event.
But after the 102nd Grand Parade entry left the starting line almost an hour and a half after the parade began, Hubbard said, all the worries were for naught.
“It all came together so well in the end,” she said. “Everyone involved made an extra effort to get here and get involved.
“I’m really impressed with the community coming together like this.”
Float awards
The other winners of the float design awards were:
• Mason County Forest Festival, Queen’s Award.
• Marysville Strawberry Festival, Mayor’s Award.
• Portland Daffodil Festival, the Governors Award.
Stacy Richards, president of the festival, said she was thrilled with the turnout of participants and viewers alike — although she had no estimate of crowd attendance .
“I’m really, really happy to see all the people,” she said.
But Richards isn’t done yet. In fact, she doesn’t have an end in sight.
“We are already looking at the plans for next year,” she said.
“It’s the 75th coming up, so it’s going to be a big one.
“And the plans for 2011 — I have three or four years thought out in my head right now already.”
For more information about the festival, see www.ptguide.com/rhodyfest.
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
