About Us
The Past
The First Rhododendron Festival
This article was in the 1949 issue of the Siuslaw Pioneer Booklet, from the Siuslaw Historical Museum in Old Town Florence. Wednesday, May 20, 1908, was Florence’s most memorable day. It was the day of its first Rhododendron Festival and Queen Rhododendra, Laura Johnson, was crowned by Joaquin Miller, poet of the Sierras, who as her prime minister delivered a 1600 word address devoted largely to the history of the rhododendron and the part beauty plays in civilization.
Streets were decorated in evergreen and arches of the honored blooms. The keys of the city presented to the queen by Mayor George P. Edwards, deceased in 1944, were made of rhodo wood and suitably inscribed. A floral decked barge housed the queen and her court, who were the Misses Flossie Chapman, Dena Schreuder, Hazel Weatherson, Ella Wilson, Ethel Munroe, Today, we carry on this tradition, and the Rhododendron Festival Coronation is the official kick off for the annual Rhododendron Festival.
The Present
The mission of the Rhododendron Court program is to provide scholarships for higher education, to promote community outreach and volunteerism, to offer networking and mentoring opportunities to outstanding young women and young men in a program that perpetuates an appreciation for Rhododendron Festival history and tradition.