Though the organization was established in 1906, the very first Blossomtime Queen, Catherine Burrell from Benton Harbor, was selected by way of newspaper ballots in 1924, and led the Grand Floral Parade through Michigan’s Great Southwest. Displaying a wave of pride for our agriculture and expanding local business, this new event brought thousands of spectators and advertising for our area, inspiring other communities to host their own pageants to join in the celebration.
Nearly one hundred years later, the Blossomtime Festival and Parade is the affair of the season, and this year the pageant takes place over two days, Sunday, April 24th and Monday, April 25th.
This year’s theme is ‘Past, Present, Future’, and will showcase twenty-one community queens and twenty-seven community kings vying for the titles of Miss and Mr. Blossomtime. Tickets are now on sale, and for the first time, (limited) Premium Seats will be available for purchase. General Admission tickets are $30 each, and Premium tickets are $45. Programs can be purchased for $5 each.
The Mr. Blossomtime contest happens on Sunday the 24th, and begins at 6:30pm at the Mendel Center Mainstage at Lake Michigan College. Blossomtime King will be crowned that evening, and the area queens will participate in three of their contest categories Sunday as well. The continuation of the Queen contest resumes on Monday (the 25th) at 7:00 pm, and promises a second evening of entertainment, music, and glamour.
People’s Choice Voting for Miss Blossomtime is now live at blossomtimevote.com, and allows the public to vote for their favorite queen, at the price of one dollar per vote. The queen with the most votes will be named as a Finalist for the pageant, and will receive a scholarship made up of 15% of the online voting funds that were raised. Voting is open until April 25th at 5 p.m.
The Blossomtime Festival has become much bigger than a parade, though the parade itself now consists of over 125 units, including marching bands, floats, cars, police drill teams, and more. It is the celebration of Spring, the celebration of community, and is home to the Blossomtime Scholarship Fund, which will award over $20,000 this year.
To purchase tickets in advance, call the Blossomtime Office at 269-982-8016, or stop by at 2330 S. Cleveland Avenue. Both pageants will be broadcast on 94.9 WSJM FM and 103.7 COSY radio, so there is no way you can miss it! To learn more about the Blossomtime Festival and its mission, please visit blossomtimefestival.org.
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM contributor
