Union Club and Tacoma celebrate spring, then and now.

Spring in the Northwest evokes our favorite yellow perennial, but the ubiquitous daffodil wasn’t always the queen.

Daffodils came to the Puyallup Valley around 1925 to replace the area’s dying hop industry. What started as a garden party grew to an annual parade in 1934. Instead of flowers being thrown away or used as fertilizer, as was custom, local photographer Lee Merrill pitched the idea of competitions in which residents adorned their cars and bikes with daffodils and paraded through the Puyallup Valley. The first festival’s budget topped out at a whopping $600. Check out the first ad campaign – featuring daffodil royalty clad in their summer suits. The float parade never disappointed, check out the king salmon float (no, that’s not a beluga whale).

The Union Club has never been able to pass up a chance to party in Spring (or anytime, really).

Our first Third Thursday event was a blast! We had a great turnout and Artist and Craftsman Supply was an awesome partner, donating paint and staff (shout out Grace!). It was a perfect way to invite some color into our lives. In 1948, Union Club members welcomed spring in much the same way with a Daffodil Dance. The posters read, “The Daffodil Parade has a queen…but at our dance every girl is a queen.” Ah, the chivalry makes us swoon…

We’re following up on our recent Third Thursday event not with a dance but with a different kind of community activity: an easter egg hunt! Each egg will include a day pass for you to visit, work, and create within our community free of charge. Come on down, the lawn is full!

Thank you for being a part of our community, as we’re so happy to be a part of yours! Happy spring!