WHEREAS, The annual Daffodil Festival is a cherished tradition for the people of Pierce County and the Northwest; and
     WHEREAS, 2011 marks the seventy-eighth 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 the "Spirit of Adventure" 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 vent 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 2011 events are ongoing with the 50th Annual Junior Parade on April 2, 2011, the 78th Annual Grand Floral Street Parade on April 9, 2011--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 59th Annual Marine parade on April 17, 2011; and
     WHEREAS, This year's Festival royalty includes Queen Claire Flemming, Curtis High School, and Princesses Marissa Jay, Bethel High School; Payton Jensen, Bonney Lake High School; Kelsey Carder, Cascade Christian High School; Wynonna Swift, Chief Leschi High School; Shawnice Davis, Clover Park High School; Jordan Davis, Eatonville High School; Alexandra Schuster, Emerald Ridge High School; Whitney Franks, Fife High School; Erin Mathews, Franklin Pierce High School; Kori Hinkle, Graham-Kapowsin High School; Bianca Gonzaga, Henry Foss High School; Rio Marquez-Hammitt, Lakes High School; Katie Smith, Lincoln High School; Charly Williams, Mt. Tahoma High School; Krista Nunnally, Orting High School; Monica Gallucci, Puyallup High School; Sarah Piek, Rogers High School; Sarah Brauneis, Spanaway Lake High School; Sophia Williams, Stadium High School; Makel Ortiz, Sumner High School; Nichele Bunch, Washington High School; and Chelsea Kem, 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-eight years; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the 2011 Daffodil Festival Officers and to the members of the Festival Royalty.