SU Celebrates ‘The Bloom’
Shenandoah University is closed on Friday, April 30, as the 83rd Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® kicks into high gear throughout Winchester. Even though the university is closed, don’t think everyone is sleeping late or relaxing.
Then and Now: From left, the 1958 Apple Blossom Festival® float from Shenandoah University; the 2009 university float
On Friday, the university hosts the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® Concert Band Competition and Jazz Band Competition for high school students who are in town to play in parades. Faculty, students and members of Kappa Kappa Psi will assist.
The Queen’s Ball is being held in the Brandt Student Center Ferrari Room on Friday night, and President Tracy Fitzsimmons will present the traditional gift to Queen Shenandoah LXXXIII Rachel Lynn McDonnell, daughter of Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, on behalf of the university. Queen Shenandoah LXXXIII and her court will make grand entrances during the evening along with actor and Grand Marshal of the festival Val Kilmer.
As 2009 Homecoming Queen, pharmacy student Alexis Hargbol is a princess serving in the Court of Queen Shenandoah LXXXIII. This means she will accompany the Queen at all festival functions, including Friday’s coronation and ride on the Queen’s float Saturday.
The Grand Feature Parade through downtown Winchester Saturday afternoon begins at 1:30 p.m., and Shenandoah’s float will be back, after making its debut last year. Hornets cheerleaders lead the way for the completely redesigned float. The cheerleaders will be accompanied by student-athletes, who were nominated for the honor by their coaches. Students will be on the float, too, representing Shenandoah.
The float was designed by alumnus Nick Collins ’99 and built by employees Frank Reed, Dick Laird and Andrew Howard.
The Shenandoah University Buzzin’ Dozen Pep Band is university’s second unit in the Grand Feature Parade.
Miss Apple Blossom Festival 2010 is Shenandoah alumna Shannon Beam, Class of 2008. In June, Beam will compete for the title of Miss Virginia America 2010.
SUTV employees and students will cover the entire festival. They’ll shoot footage of every event, and that will be used next year for the festival 30-minute kick-off show. SUTV produces the live broadcast of the Firefighters Parade (carried on Comcast channel 6) beginning at 5 p.m. Friday. It also produces the live broadcast of the Grand Feature Parade at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, which is satellite uplinked for air on TV3 Winchester. It will also be shown in Harrisonburg and Charlottesville on Gray Television stations as well as Comcast channel 6.
As always, the hardest-working group from Shenandoah is the food service crew. Peter Labrecque, Dave Grumbacher and their cooks and catering crew will work pretty much around the clock for the next three days, serving thousands of Apple Blossom Festival revelers.
For festival schedules, parade routes, news and tickets, go to www.thebloom.com.
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