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Valley of Flowers Celebrates . . .
Florissant Valley Fire Protection
District’s 100th Anniversary:
“A Centennial of Caring . . .
Then, Now, and Tomorrow”
Spring marks the arrival of the 57th celebration of the Valley of Flowers Festival. This Florissant family-oriented event, the North County’s “?rst festival of spring,” features a variety of attractions, highlighted by the Grand Parade and by the crowning of Florissant’s Queen and her Court!
Activities during the three-day festivities will appeal to all ages. At the James J. Eagan Center fair-goers will find a ?ower and plant sale, culturally diverse performances, a vendor/craft fair, a pretty baby photo contest, and children’s activities. Carnival games and exciting rides are featured at the Duchesne Home Association Fairgrounds (formerly called the Knights of Columbus Fairgrounds).
Rounding out the fun, at Koch Park baseball games on Friday, at rue St. Francois on Saturday the classic car show, and of course mouth-watering food everywhere. (See related articles throughout this paper). The Grand Parade on Sunday, May 5,the highpoint of the weekend, leads to the crowning of the Valley of Flowers Queen and Court at the Duchesne Home Association Pavilion (formerly called the Knights of Columbus Pavilion).
The parade with more than 100 units features mobile units departing from the James J. Eagan Center at 1:45 p.m. Decorated vehicles and ?oats proceed west on Parker Road to New Florissant Road where the walking units and the marching bands merge with them.
The parade travels south on New Florissant, turns west on rue St. Francois past the of?cial review stands, then left on St. Ferdinand to Washington Street and concludes at the Duchesne Home Association Fairgrounds.
The parade theme is the “Florissant Valley Fire Protection District’s 100th Anniversary” so decorations on ?oats and units re?ect this theme.
Participating in the parade are many city of?cials, local municipal emergency responder vehicles, the Valley of Flowers reigning Queen and Court and this year’s 19 candidates, car clubs, walking units, horse groups, dog clubs, dance schools, and scout groups.
Groups that make up the fabric of our community participate and create a colorful and fun parade! The parade ends at the Duchesne Home Association Fairgrounds where the winning parade units and their sponsors, and the Pretty Baby Photo Contest winners receive their awards.
At 4:00 p.m., Mayor Thomas Schneider crowns the 2019 Valley of Flowers Queen and Court. Please arrive early to get good seats along the parade route for one of the largest and most colorful spring parades in the St. Louis Metropolitan area; then join us at the Knights of Columbus Pavilion for the exciting award and crowning ceremonies!
Valley of Flowers Festival is on May 3, 4, and 5with the theme “Valley of Flowers Celebrates the Florissant Valley Fire Protection District’s 100th Anniversary.”
VALLEY OF FLOWERS FAIRGROUNDS
OFFER SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!
For the enjoyment of visitors, all weekend the Duchesne Home Association Fairgrounds (formerly the Knights of Columbus Fairgrounds) on Washington Street between St. Ferdinand and Lindbergh Blvd. (N. Hwy 67) next to St. Ferdinand Shrine will feature carnival rides, games, beverages, and traditional festival foods including their famous barbecue.
Focused on families having fun together, rides will be available for younger children, for older children and adults, with the Grand Ferris Wheel for everyone. Friday night only will be “Discount-Ride Knight.” During the weekend the Knights will serve their delicious barbecue ribs, pork steaks, chicken strips, brats, hot dogs, and hamburgers. Friday through Sunday your favorite beverages will be in ready supply and adults may treat themselves to an ice-cold beer from one of the beer trailers, wine, or a delicious margarita from the margarita stand. .
Visit the other food and game booths, sponsored by local not-for-profit organizations, which will offer a variety of Festival foods and games. On Sunday, watch the parade and experience the crowning of the queen and her court at the large pavilion on the grounds. Awards will be presented to the winners of the Valley of Flowers Parade and Pretty Baby Photo contest. Rides and activities will continue until close.
The Duchesne Home Association grounds are open on Friday from 4 .m. to close, on Saturday from 11 a.m. to close, and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to close.
PLEASE NOTE A MAJOR CHANGE THIS YEAR
Since there have been groups from outside the community trying to disrupt the festival on Saturday evenings, no one will be allowed to enter the grounds after 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Those on the grounds may enjoy the Festival until close. Please do not park on the local shopping center lots. There is ample parking in the field on St. Charles Street or at St. Ferdinand Park and walk the path to the festival. To maintain a family friendly and neighborhood atmosphere, the festival committee will once again require that anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Other short-term changes allow for better crowd management and traffic flow in and around the festival grounds. The plan includes temporary traffic regulations to prevent festival traffic from interfering with local businesses including the no parking policy at Florissant Meadows Shopping Center and Dierbergs, a well-enforced dress code and increased overall security. Also this year there will be a new layout for rides and ticket booths. There will be standalone, self-service ticket kiosks. Finally, all ticket booths will be equipped with credit card machines for added convenience.
2019 VALLEY OF FLOWERS FESTIVAL SPONSORS
FLEUR DE LIS LEVEL
- Citizen’s National Bank
- City of Florissant
- Commerce Bank
- Don Henefer Jewelers
- Florissant Fine Arts Council
- Kent Miller Photography
- Handyman True Value Hardware
- Knights of Columbus – Duchesne Council
- Universal Windows Direct
ROSE LEVEL
- Councilman Joe Eagan Ward 3
- Florissant Old Town Partners
- Florissant Rotary Club
- KwikKopy Printing
- Steve Robbins Certified Financial Planner
DAISY LEVEL
- Delmar Gardens Family, North Campus
- Fritz’s Frozen Custard
- Hendel’s Restaurant
- Kay Bee Electric
- Nikodem Dental
- Nimmons Wealth Management
- Our Urgent Care
- Resler-Kerber Optometry, Inc
- Saint Louis Bread Co., Florissant
- Stitches.n.Color
- Topos Surveying Corp
