Celebration of spring: Valley of Flowers Festival marks 45 years in Florissant
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| David Kennedy photo - More than 130 floats and organizations participated in the annual Florissant Valley of Flowers parade on Sunday. |
 
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"Same thing every year, we have a barbecue," said Keck, one of thousands of parade watchers on a bright but slightly cool Sunday afternoon. Her family had their lawn chairs in place along New Florissant Road, waiting for the parade to pass by.
"I used to live down the street there, and now my mom and dad live here," Keck said. "We live out in Wentzville, and we still come in for it."Other family members included Keck's husband, Scott; daughter Marlie, age 4; mom and dad, Carol and Leo Lerner, and sister Terry Weible of Warrenton. Maverick, their 4-year-old retriever, was taking in his first parade.
"What is different now is that I don't think back then that people lined up (their chairs) the night before," Keck said.
Even though it's grown, the parade and festival remain touchstones for generations of families and city residents.
"My best friend in grade school," Keck said. "She lives a block away from me in Wentzville, and she's over there with her family."
Rina Struttmann, 25, who was sitting in lawn chairs with Kim Frost and Kevin Wagner along the parade route, said she attended her first Valley of Flowers parade in her mother's womb.
The three-day festival celebrated its 45th anniversary last weekend, culminating with the annual parade and the crowning of the 2008 Valley of Flowers queen.
Florissant Police Chief William Karabas said there may have been 5,000 to 10,000 people who came to watch the parade.
"I think it went real good," said festival chairman Lance Lombardo on Sunday afternoon, as festivities began to wind down.
In all, 135 floats, seven bands and other groups participated in the parade, which took more than two hours to wind along its 2.25-mile route.
Lombardo said rain and cool weather on Friday and Saturday morning didn't limit participation in some activities, in particular the Pepsi pitch and hit event and the Tot Wheels Parade.
"We're going to have a dog show next year," Lombardo said. "They used to have it every year, and I just didn't have a chance to get it organized this year."
The festival offers organizations a chance to raise money.
Mitch Hanneken with the Soroptimst Club of North County was pulling a wagon with the last remaining bags of Gus's pretzels that she was selling to parade onlookers on St. Francois Street.
"I've sold four boxes already," she said.
Scout Troop 749 sold water and sodas for a dollar each. The money would go to send troop members to camp this summer, said Kate Kavanaugh, a troop leader.
The mood was casual all along the route, with a few people staking out some choice locations.
Sharon Gajobosik of St. Paul, Mo., had a spread of hot dogs and other food laid out in the bed of a pickup truck parked along St. Francois Street near the Senior Center. It's the same spot she and family members staked out last year.
