The Daffodil Festival is still months away; unless you are a responsible party for one of the many parade float entries. Their process begins almost immediately after the holiday season and runs full throttle until parade day. The Sumner Downtown Association is one of these groups.
What many don't know about the Daffodil Festival is that in order to have a princess selection process at any high school, that school district must have a community float. So, the float storage, maintenance, decorations and insurance are all paid for through and by the Sumner Downtown Association, fulfilling that need for both Sumner and Bonney Lake high schools.
For many years, Ben DeGoede of Windmill Gardens has taken on the important leadership role in planning, design and decorating of the float. His guidance has led the Community Float to multiple years of awards from the Daffodil Festival.
This year, Mr. DeGoede has made the decision to step back from his role and has chosen to serve in other ways. We can't thank him enough for all he has done and continues to do for SDA and the Sumner community.
On Wednesday, January 9th at 4 p.m., there will be a float committee meeting at the Sumner Downtown Association office, located at 906 Kincaid Avenue. This year, SDA is working to fine tune the float process.
In order to be fiscally responsible to our membership and those who have contributed funds through the B & O Tax Credit Incentive Program, SDA will work with the float committee to develop a sound budget, float theme, design and construction process with a manageable time line.
Bonney Lake High School and the Bonney Lake community have never been formally invited to join us in this process. This is definitely something of which your community should be a part. We hope to change that this year by including all those who wish to volunteer from both the Bonney Lake and Sumner communities.
As a business, you may wonder how you can assist. SDA will be accepting contributions to support the financial needs of the float. The cost of the float ranges from $8,000 to $12,000 depending upon the theme and design of the float. As a non-profit, we do have a limited budget so all contributions are welcome.
We will also be looking for those who have creative ideas, construction and electrical ability, design and some floral knowledge. We may also be in need of a float driver this year. Yes, it is a lot of hard work and yes, it may use some of your free time. However, we have a great deal of fun, build camaraderie and make lifelong friends. In the end, the joy comes from doing something wonderful and of value for your local community.
If you would be interested in joining the Float Committee for our first meeting, please contact Laurie at 253-720-9846. We look forward to another amazing Daffodil Festival as we build our theme around the 2013 Festival theme "The Magic of Music."
