WHEREAS, The annual Daffodil Festival is a cherished tradition for the people of Pierce County and the Northwest; and
     WHEREAS, 2012 marks the seventy-ninth annual Daffodil Festival; and
     WHEREAS, The mission of the Daffodil Festival is to focus national and regional attention on our local area as a place to live and visit, to give citizens of Pierce County a civic endeavor where "Don't Stop Believing" comes alive, fostering civic pride, to give young people and organizations of the local area an opportunity to display their talents and abilities, to give voice to citizens' enthusiasm in parades, pageantry, and events, and to stimulate the business economy through expenditures by and for the Festival and by visitors attracted during Festival Week; and
     WHEREAS, The Festival began in 1926 as a modest garden party in Sumner and grew steadily each year until 1934, when flowers, which previously had been largely discarded in favor of daffodil bulbs, were used to decorate cars and bicycles for a short parade through Tacoma; and
     WHEREAS, The Festival's 2012 events are ongoing with the 51st Annual Junior Parade on April 21, 2012, the seventy-ninth annual Grand Floral Street Parade on April 14, 2012, winding its way from downtown Tacoma through the communities of Puyallup, Sumner, and Orting and consisting of approximately 40 float entries and over 80 other entries, including bands marching, and mounted units and floats that are decorated with fresh cut daffodils, numbering in the thousands, and will culminate with the 60th Annual Marine parade on April 22, 2012; and
     WHEREAS, This year's Festival royalty includes Princesses Alisa Linke, Bethel High School; Angela Crone, Bonney Lake High School; Delaney Roosendaal, Cascade Christian High School; Alexandria Cole, Chief Leschi High School; Cinthia Vasquez, Clover Park High School; Eunice Kim, Curtis High School; Mackenzie Glisson, Eatonville High School; Katey Della-Giustina, Emerald Ridge High School; Delaney Ferrell, Fife High School; Tessa Shull, Franklin Pierce High School; Emily Moffitt, Graham-Kapowsin High School; Sarah Karamoko, Henry Foss High School; Madison Newberry, Lakes High School; Quennie Eslava, Lincoln High School; Brianne Shaw, Mt. Tahoma High School; Morgan Butler-Koler, Orting High School; Megan Gimmestad, Puyallup High School; Jordan Zuniga, Rogers High School; Jasmine Heindel, Spanaway Lake High School; Savannah Fry, Stadium High School; Carly Lange, Sumner High School; Sienna Talbert, Washington High School; Megan McBarron, White River High School; and Nicole Aqua, Wilson High School;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize and honor the many contributions made to our state by the Daffodil Festival and its organizers for the past seventy-nine years; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the 2012 Daffodil Festival Officers and to the members of the Festival Royalty.