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Tickets still available for Apple Blossom auction
WENATCHEE — Tickets are on sale for the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival’s “All-Sport Tailgate Party” fundraiser auction on Saturday. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the Wenatchee Center Grand Ballroom and includes a buffet dinner, no-host bar, a raffle and live and silent auctions.
Published 10/5/2011
Float wins award
LEAVENWORTH — Apple Blossom Festival Float received the best float award during the Leavenworth Autumn Leaf Festival Saturday. Apple Blossom Queen Elenore Bastian rode on the float.
Published 9/28/2011
Apple Blossom floats win awards in Astoria, Omak parades
WENATCHEE — The Washington State Apple Blossom Festival queen’s float received the Queen’s Award at the Astoria (Ore.) Regatta Parade Aug. 13. Apple Blossom Queen Elenore Bastian and princesses Elise Shae and Maycee McQuin rode on the float. The festival’s princess float placed third overall at the Omak Stampede Parade ...
Published 8/24/2011
Apple Blossom Festival princess float wins in Olympia
WENATCHEE — The Washington State Apple Blossom Festival float earned the Queen’s Award at Saturday’s Capital Lakefair Grand parade in Olympia. Apple Blossom Queen Elenore Bastian and princesses Elise Shae and Maycee McQuin rode on the float.
Published 7/20/2011
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Apple Blossom Festival honors top volunteers
WENATCHEE —The Washington State Apple Blossom Festival announced 2011 volunteer awards last month at the Wenatchee Community Center. Award winners were:
Published 6/8/2011
Apple Blossom winners
Apple Blossom Festival officials and Classy Chassis organizers gave these awards during the annual celebration that ended Sunday
Festival, Classy Chassis hand out the hardware
Published 5/12/2011
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Talking It Over: Apple Blossom Festival was another smooth ride
The Festival has ended, another big year for parades, entertainment of all kinds, food and fun and mostly sunshine. Looking at it from the viewpoint of our honored place near the beginning, Kathy and I, and granddaughter Alyssa, got a first-hand view of the crowds that came to see the ...
Published 5/10/2011
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For good or ill, cruising is over
Well, that pretty much does it. Cruising is not an Apple Blossom tradition. It is a former Apple Blossom tradition, remembered mostly by people longing for the beauty years of their early 20s, when spring nights were warm enough to put the top down. The death of cruising is a ...
Published 5/10/2011
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Float judges: High marks are in the details
WENATCHEE — Float judges like attention to detail. Sure to gain high marks are floats with smooth fabric seams, border fringe that completely hides wheels, and finished edges on just about everything.
It takes more than some tinsel to wow the experts
Published 5/9/2011
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No cruising, no drunken brawls at this year’s festival
WENATCHEE — Gas prices, the weather and smaller crowds combined to make this year’s Apple Blossom uneventful for the Wenatchee Police Department. “Apple Blossom was a non-event from a law enforcement point of view,” said Sgt. John Kruse. “There was no cruising, no drunken pedestrians on Wenatchee Avenue. It was ...
Published 5/9/2011
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Pie eyed
With “apple pie champ” written all over his face, Jedidiah Chambers, 8, chows down Sunday in Memorial Park in the Costco Apple Pie Eating Contest. The Wenatchee boy won the boys 8-12 year old division.
Published 5/9/2011
NCW sports briefs
WENATCHEE — The Wenatchee Valley Rams were poised to avenge their only loss of the season Saturday, but instead came away with another loss to the Okanogan County Commandos.
Published 5/9/2011
Scoreboard: Running
Apple Blossom Run results
Published 5/9/2011
Early birds flock to their places for Wenatchee’s grandest day
WENATCHEE — You’d think it would be boring to sit on the Grand Parade route at 6 a.m. — five hours before the action starts. Not to Phyllis Flagel.
Published 5/7/2011
Classy Chassis: Cadillac keeps mind of ‘lifelong mechanic’ occupied
WENATCHEE — Two years ago, Owen Hatcher, a retired appliance technician and Malaga resident, suffered a stroke and was hospitalized for four weeks. He lost the ability to focus his eyes, and he suffered irreparable damage to his sense of balance that makes walking a struggle.
Published 5/7/2011
Once a queen ... 2001
2001: Rebecca Tinney Personal: She in lives in Los Angeles, where she has launched a fitness program called “The Balance Method.” The program aims to help people change their perspectives on body image, diet and healthy lifestyle.
Published 5/7/2011
Blossoms of love
WENATCHEE — Barely acquainted, Rich and Laura were two young faces in the crowded crush of the 1965 Apple Blossom Festival. Carnival rides spun around them, the air filled with excited screams and the scent of caramel corn. Midway callers barked.
A 1965 Apple Blossom encounter leads to 46 years of marriage for missionary couple
Published 5/6/2011
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Delegates from Misawa tell their earthquake stories
EAST WENATCHEE — Kudo Tomohiko knew enough American history to perk up at hearing “Lewis and Clark” and “cowboys and Indians.” But he’d never heard of Northwest explorer David Thompson until Wednesday. That’s when Kudo learned of the map-maker’s epic voyage down the full length of the Columbia River in ...
Visitors also teach about their culture, learn local history
Published 5/6/2011
Published 5/6/2011
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Bill Steward, Wilfred Woods share grand marshal honors
Ron Berschauer visited Wilfred Woods and William Steward earlier this year to tell them they had been selected as grand marshals for the Stemilt Growers Grand Parade, which will be held Saturday as part of the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival. Berschauer asked Woods and Steward, two longtime Wenatchee Valley ...
Published 5/6/2011
Apple Blossom Run hitting two decades
More than 1,000 participants to trace festival’s parade route
WENATCHEE — Organizers of Saturday’s 20th-annual Apple Blossom Run are expecting an increase from the 900 kids and 300 adults that participated in last year’s race. “A lot of it is pretty weather-driven, but indications are that the numbers will be up and the weather is supposed to be pretty ...Published 5/5/2011
Once a queen ... Holly Lane Kert
Today: She lives in Cashmere and has four children with her husband, Trevor Kert.
Catching up with Apple Blossom queens of the past
Published 5/5/2011
Our World: NCW residents pitch in
I am continually amazed at how the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival has been able to retain its small-town, community feel, even in this its 92nd year. That’s a testament to the kind of people who live here.
Published 5/5/2011
Fun at the carnival
With armloads of their winnings, Jerett Elwell, 21, and Carley Ochampaugh, 19, both of Wenatchee, call it a night Monday at the Funtastic Traveling Shows carnival at Riverfront Park in Wenatchee. The carnival has been coming to the Apple Blossom Festival for about 15 years and employs about 40 people ...
Published 5/3/2011
Once a queen ... Trina Damish DeCamp
Today: She lives in Wenatchee and is married to Greg DeCamp, a chiropractor. They have three children: Mitchell, 20, a student at Washington State University; Ross, 18, a senior at Wenatchee High School; and Lexie, 16, a sophomore at WHS.
Catching up with Apple Blossom queens of the past
Published 5/3/2011
A day for youth to blossom
WENATCHEE — Homemade floats don’t come with instructions. They’re put together by parents and kids, sometimes in the wee hours of the morning, with makeshift supplies and lots of elbow grease.
Got glitter? Float-makers share their construction tips
Published 5/2/2011
2011 Youth Parade: Calm before the swarm
WENATCHEE — Things went from calm to chaotic between 7:15 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. Saturday at Triangle Park. But that wasn’t a bad thing.
Published 4/30/2011
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Once a queen ... 1971
The 1971 Apple Blossom Queen is Linda Laney Lippincott. Today she lives and works with her husband, Pat, in Walla Walla. She has three children, two stepchildren and four grandchildren.
Published 4/30/2011
Blossoms a bonus for this year’s festival
WENATCHEE — The most unusual thing to celebrate at this year’s Washington State Apple Blossom Festival could be the blossoms themselves. Apple blooms are usually gone or withering by the time the first corn dog is sold at Wenatchee’s hugely popular festival, which started Thursday and runs through May 8. ...
Published 4/30/2011
Chief for the day
Washington State Patrol Chief for a Day Kailey Rublaitus, 7, negotiates with Deputy Chief David Karnitz during an induction ceremony Thursday at Memorial Park. The Cashmere girl’s first official act was to change the patrol uniforms to pink. But she conceded to pink bow ties. The ninth-annual event was the ...
Published 4/29/2011
Published 4/29/2011
Kazoos add buzz to Saturday’s parade
WENATCHEE — Did you hear the buzz about Saturday’s Keyes Fibre Youth Parade? You will.
Published 4/29/2011
Apple Blossom’s regal connection
LONDON — She wanted hair like Kate Middleton. Yes, like THAT Kate Middleton, the then-fiancée of Prince William of Wales and soon-to-be duchess. So 29-year-old Lindsay France, former Apple Blossom queen turned international TV reporter, ducked Wednesday into the Richard Ward Salon near London’s trendy Sloane Square and said, pretty ...
Former festival queen gets her hair done by Middleton’s stylist
Published 4/29/2011
Let the festival begin
Jeremy Rosenau, 16, of Wenatchee, gets a bite from the Memorial Park food fair on Thursday. The 2011 Washington State Apple Blossom Festival officially kicked off Thursday with the opening of the food fair and entertainment in Memorial Park.
Published 4/29/2011
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Warming up to perform
A group of dancers from Dance Creations practice Tuesday night for their Sunday performance on the Apple Blossom stage in Memorial Park. At noon Sunday, 205 students from Dance Creations will take the stage for several performances throughout the hour.
Published 4/27/2011
Queen Elenore: Her inspirational moment
Something changed in Elenore Bastian when she met the queen seven years ago. At the time, Elenore was a quiet, 11-year-old girl, still uncomfortable in her own skin. Her mother encouraged her to try out for Apple Blossom junior royalty to help draw Elenore out of her shell.
How this once-shy girl blossomed into a queen
Published 4/27/2011
2011 Royal Court
The 2011 Washington State Apple Blossom Festival royal court, from left to right, is Princess Maycee McQuin, Queen Elenore Bastian and Princess Elise Shae.
Published 4/27/2011
Float schedule
The Apple Blossom Festival float and royalty will attend the following events
Published 4/27/2011
Apple Blossom Festival event schedule
Complete schedule of Apple Blossom Festival activities from April 28 through May 8
Published 4/27/2011
Published 4/27/2011
Apple Blossom Junior Royalty
The 2011 Apple Blossom Festival Junior Royalty is, from left, Princess Brooke Wagner, Queen Allison Flynn and Princess Taylor Takasugi. The trio will ride in Saturday’s Keyes Fibre Youth Parade.
Published 4/27/2011
Food fair vendors are serving up treats
Hungry? Then head to Memorial Park, where a variety of vendors await your eating pleasure. The food fair opens Thursday and will continue daily throughout the festival, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Some vendors may stay open later. This year’s vendors and their offerings:
Published 4/27/2011
Classy Chassis: An expanding family
Sitting in her office on a mid-March afternoon, Dawn Collings talked excitedly about the registration form she had just received for this year’s Les Schwab Classy Chassis Parade & Car Show. The form was sent in by a husband and wife who have participated in past years. They registered their ...
Published 4/27/2011
Apple Blossom Festival entertainment schedule
The Verizon Wireless Entertainment stage in Memorial Park will once again be brimming with some of the best talent the area has to offer. Here’s the list
Published 4/27/2011
Wenatchee bus routes free on parade days
NCW — Link Transit will re-route buses and offer free bus rides during the Apple Blossom parades Saturday and May 7. According to a press release, the route changes won’t greatly change the service. Two routes will take riders to Memorial Park, the heart of all the action, on parade ...
Published 4/25/2011
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Kupferman named festival’s Apple Citizen of the Year
WENATCHEE — Retired Washington State University Extension horticulturist Gene Kupferman is this year’s Apple Citizen of the Year. The Wenatchee man will be honored at the All Service Club Luncheon May 4 and will ride in the Stemilt Growers Grand Parade on May 7.
Published 4/16/2011
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Apple Blossom Festival princess float wins in Tacoma
WENATCHEE — The Washington State Apple Blossom Festival princess float earned the Royalty Award at Saturday’s Tacoma Daffodil parade. Apple Blossom Queen Elenore Bastian and princesses Elise Shae and Maycee McQuin rode on the float.
Published 4/13/2011
Apple Blossom Festival picks grand marshals
WENATCHEE — The 2011 Washington State Apple Blossom Festival chose two Wenatchee Valley leaders, William Steward and Wilfred Woods, as grand marshals of the Stemilt Growers Grand Parade on May 7. Steward is a former president of Wenatchee Valley College and was instrumental in the “Save the Wells House” campaign ...
Published 4/12/2011
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Apple Blossom’s in the air — first chairs are in place
WENATCHEE — The first harbingers of Apple Blossom season — chairs saving places along the parade route — appeared Tuesday along the south edge of Memorial Park. The first sightings are actually two groupings of chairs, one with three and the other with 15, each secured together with a length ...
Published 3/31/2011
Giant puppets will celebrate our heritage
WENATCHEE — The pioneers who carved a settlement from sand and rock near the banks of the Columbia River were in many ways larger than life. And their history — or the lack of details — only lends itself to many a tall story about how Wenatchee came to be. ...
Festival Parade will feature volunteers’ handiwork
Published 3/28/2011
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This year’s junior royalty
This year’s Apple Blossom Junior Royalty are, from left, Princess Brooke Wagner of Sunnyslope Elementary, daughter of Brad and Lori Wagner; Queen Allison Flynn, daughter of Teresa Flynn and Rocky Flynn; and Princess Taylor Takasugi of St. Joseph’s Catholic School, daughter of Doug and Jan Takasugi. The girls were selected ...
Published 3/10/2011
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Apple Blossom Festival royalty tea March 17
WENATCHEE — Soroptimist International of Wenatchee has planned an Apple Blossom Festival royalty tea and luncheon for March 17. The event will be at noon at the Wild Huckleberry restaurant, 302 S. Mission St.
Published 3/9/2011
Big night, big dilemma for East Wenatchee family
EAST WENATCHEE — The big moments in life are typically spaced out, but every so often a few happen to find their way onto the same date of the calendar. Such was the case for the Waterhouse family of East Wenatchee on Saturday.
Published 2/14/2011
Queen once more
WENATCHEE — Elenore Bastian has had practice at being a queen. In 2004, she was queen of the Apple Blossom Festival Junior Royalty. “I was really inspired by all the senior girls on the royal court,” she said, “and I wanted to be just like them.”
Former junior royalty star is back in festival spotlight
Published 2/12/2011
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Tickets still available for Saturday pageant
WENATCHEE — There still are upper-level tickets available for the Apple Blossom Royalty Selection Pageant. The pageant will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Wenatchee High School auditorium.
Published 2/9/2011
Pageant hopefuls aiming for ‘the time of my life’
WENATCHEE — Ten young women will compete Feb. 12 to represent the Wenatchee Valley as a member of the 2011 Washington State Apple Blossom Festival royal court. The contestants — five each from Eastmont and Wenatchee high schools — were chosen from among a larger group of 27 candidates on ...
Published 2/3/2011
Published 2/3/2011
Fifth-grade girls invited to apply for Junior Royalty
WENATCHEE — Fifth-grade girls who attend public, private or home schools in the Wenatchee and Eastmont school districts are eligible to apply to be part of the 2011 Washington State Apple Blossom Festival junior royalty court. Applications are available at the festival office, 2 S. Chelan Ave., or can be ...
Published 2/2/2011
Parade route changes to spare struggling floats
WENATCHEE — Stalling parade floats and chugging antique cars have caused unsightly gaps in the Apple Blossom Grand Parade for long enough. This year the parade that headlines the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival will finish on Wenatchee Avenue, rather than making the climb (tough, if you’re a lumbering float) ...
Published 1/19/2011
Meet the Apple Blossom top 10
The top 10 candidates for the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival royalty pose for a photograph Wednesday night after they were selected from 27 students from Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. Selection night is Feb. 12, starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale starting this morning at the festival office ...
Published 1/13/2011
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Keeping a tradition a-float
WENATCHEE — “Everybody Loves a Parade,” is the theme for this spring’s Washington Apple Blossom Festival. It’s also the title of Wenatchee’s Apple Blossom Festival float, although an appropriate subtitle might be “Home Grown.” This year’s float is being built in Wenatchee for the first time since 1998. It’s been ...
Work begins on ‘home grown’ entry for Apple Blossom Festival
Published 1/13/2011
2011 Apple Blossom royalty candidates
Twenty-seven teenage girls have been selected to compete for a spot on the 2011 Washington State Apple Blossom Festival Royal Court. Candidates will be honored at a Jan. 11 reception at the Performing Arts Center of Wenatchee. The Top 10 candidates will be named at 6 p.m. Jan. 12 at ...
Published 12/22/2010
Mandatory meeting set for royalty candidates
WENATCHEE — Mandatory meetings for prospective 2011 Apple Blossom Festival royalty candidates will be Dec. 1 at noon, 4 and 6 p.m. at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center, 127 S. Mission St. High school senior girls interested in being in the royalty court must attend one of the ...
Published 11/24/2010
Apple Blossom Festival announces officers
WENATCHEE — The Washington State Apple Blossom Festival has announced new officers for the 2011 festival. Ron Berschauer is the 2011 Apple Blossom Festival director general, and Adele Fischer Haley is the assistant director general.
Published 9/8/2010
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