The
photograph opposite is taken from the Lincolnshire Free Press of May 12 1959
and shows a carnival float in the market place.
The first year of the Spalding Flower Parade as we know it now was 1958 when
Janet Bray was Flower Queen and headed the through the town
on the Geest float.
Previous Flower Queens, going back to 1950, had toured the district in decorated
vehicles, including a hearse, on 'Tulip Sundays'. Designated days in late April
and Early May, when tourists would flock to the area for rides around the tulip
fields.
The float decoration uses the waste product of the tulip industry, the tulip
heads. These are removed by the growers to promote growth of the bulbs for sale
in the Autumn. Each float is sponsored by a company or organization.
Since the 1950's, local tulip production has decreased considerably, and visitors
should appreciate that tulip fields are widely scattered over the area.
There are acres of daffodils to be seen in early spring, and Springfields Gardens
has some fine displays of tulips and other flowers, which are well worth seeing.
photo by dream-weaver
