It’s that time of year again.

The annual Daffodil Festival Grand Floral Parade is set for April, and a ceremony next week will officially introduce the royal court. The princesses are students picked from high schools throughout Pierce County.

The Princess Promenade is 7 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Sharon McGavick Conference Center at Clover Park Technical College, 4500 Steilacoom Blvd. S.W. Lakewood.

A dessert social follows. The cost is $20.

Reservations must be made by Friday.

For details, visit the festival’s website.

The 50^th annual Junior Daffodil Parade will brighten up Tacoma’s Proctor District on Saturday.

It starts at 10 a.m. at North 28^th and Proctor streets, and will travel down Proctor, turning left on North 26^th Street. The theme is “Let’s celebrate!”

If you miss it, the parade will be replayed on TV Tacoma.

Details are online at www.jrdaffodil.com.

Pierce County libraries will get the royal treatment Saturday.

Members of the Daffodil Festival’s royal court will read to kids and pose for pictures at 17 county library branches, plus the City of Puyallup’s library.

They’ll be at the Gig Harbor, Bonney Lake, Tillicum, University Place, Parkland, Sumner, Puyallup, South Hill and Graham libraries at 11 a.m., and at the Key Center, Buckley, Dupont, Eatonville, Steilacoom, Lakewood, Orting, Summit and Edgewood libraries at 2 p.m.

They’ll be back for more stories and photos March 19, April 16; the program may extend into the summer. The Daffodil Festival Grand Floral …

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This year’s Daffodil Festival royal court will be officially presented to the public tonight at a Princess Promenade ceremony in Lakewood.

The Daffodil Princess from high schools in the South Sound will receive their tiaras and a golden daffodil, a news release said.

They are: Marissa Jay, Bethel High School; Payton Jensen, Bonney Lake High School; Kelsey Carder, Cascade Christian High School; Nona Swift, Chief Leschi High School; Shawnice Davis, Clover Park High School; Claire Flemming, Curtis High School; Jordan Davis, Eatonville High School; Alexandra Schuster, Emerald Ridge High School; Whitney Franks, Fife High School; Erin Matthews, Franklin Pierce High …

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Major Float Awards

Grand Sweepstakes (Best in parade): Orting Chamber Community Float
President’s Award (Sweepstakes runner-up): Puyallup Tribe Float

King Alfred Awards

Queen’s Trophy (Best use of festival theme): Eatonville Community Float
Festival Trophy (Best from another festival): Capital Lakefair
Daffodilian Trophy (Most effective use of daffodils): Sumner Community Float
Princess Trophy (Best animation): Puyallup Community Float
County Council Trophy (Most original): Bethel Community Float
Judges Trophy (Most representative of Pacific Northwest): …

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In Sumner, parade spectators lined up three and four deep along the sidewalk storefronts on Main Street. Under blue sky and sunshine, people lounged on chairs and blankets spread out on residential lawns across the street from Sumner High.

Bruce Galicia of Tacoma watched the parade with his wife and four children on the grassy area in front of the Ryan House Museum. He grew up in the corner house across from the museum.

“I used to watch it from our porch when I was young,” said Galicia, who wore a T-shirt and sunglasses. “Now that my  kids are old enough to enjoy it, I wanted to bring them back.”

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The Daffodil Parade in Puyallup got off to a fine start. It was warm early this afternoon despite a sometimes stiff breeze, and the sun peaked through some wispy clouds.

Thousands of people lined the parade route along Meridian and Meeker. The typical sights of a great parade were plentiful. The sun sparkled. Toddlers perched on their parents’ shoulders to watch the festivities. Toddlers scrambled in the street to snatch peppermint candy tossed from passing cars. Vendors sold cotton candy and cupcakes, Jolly Roger flags and Bart Simpson balloons.

Frank and Pam Aguilar sold “yo-yo” balloons – palm-sized balloons filled …

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A brisk, biting wind greeted people who lined Pacific Avenue this morning for the Daffodil Festival Grand Floral Parade in Tacoma. At least it wasn’t raining, many pointed out.

The crowd estimate from the two-hour Tacoma parade was 8,500, said Susan McGuire, spokeswoman for the festival. Next up: Puyallup at 12:45 p.m., followed by Sumner at 2:30 p.m. then Orting at 5 p.m. Find the full schedule here.

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