Newspaper clipping: Peach Parade Thrills Thousands Today
- Title
- Newspaper clipping: Peach Parade Thrills Thousands Today
- Accession Number
- 2023.23.16
- Accession Date
- Feb. 15, 2023
- Accession Creator
- David Lovegrove
- Depositor
- Found in collection
- Description
- Full page of Spartanburg Herald with articles about the Peach Festival
- Creator
- Jim Oliphant, The Spartanburg Herald
- Date
- June 10, 1964
- Format
- newspaper
- Storage Location
- General Archive Box #5 Folder #8
- Text
-
Colorful Parade Launches Peach Festival At Greer
GREER -- Thousands are expected to line the streets of Greer this afternoon for a parade which gets the eighth annual South Carolina Peach Festival into full swing.
Ninety-nine units will move down W. Poinsett Street at 4 p.m.
Top-rated entertainment personalitties will appear and will include Snooky Lanson, former star of Hit Parade and Clu Gulager, soon to be featured in The Virginian. The 35 contestants for the Peach Queen title will ride in convertibles and on the Peach Festival Association float will be Diane Thompson, the reigning queen.
Miss North Carolina, Jeanne Finn Swanner and Miss South Carolina, Carolyn Gates, will head a list of visiting beauty queens.
The day's schedule will be climaxed with the annual Queens and Peach Growers Banquet at 7 in Greer High School cafeteria. Herman Hamilton of Chester will speak.
A teenagers' dance will be held at the armory beginning at 8 p.m.
Beauty pageant preliminaries will begin at 8 p.m. Thursday at Greer High and finals will be held Friday at 8 p.m.
Snooky Lanson and his orchestra will play at the coronation ball, moved up to Thursday at Greer Armory this year, starting at 9:30 p.m.
Miles Bruce is serving this year as president of the festival association and Greer Jaycees are handling beauty pageant arrangements.
Peach Parade Thrills Thousands Today
Here's What You'll See
Ninety-nine units will move down W. Poinsett Street into the Greer business district this afternoon to set a colorful pace for the eighth annual South Carolina Peach Festival.
Starting time is 4 p.m.
Here is the lineup of units:
1. Police Chief Parks Boozer; 2. Marine Corps Color Guard; 3. Mayor Lloyd Hunt; 4. Miles Bruce, president of the South Carolina Peach Festival 5. honorary parade marshal, Clu Gulager; 6. Greer Highschool Band; 7. South Carolina Peach Festival float, Diane Thompson; 8. Peach Festival directors; 9. Miss North Charleston, Jenny Newman; 10. Sen. P. Bradley Morrah, Greenville County.
11. and 12. Greenville County Delegation; 13. Miss Moncks Corner, Joyce Gaston; 14. City of Greer, Greer Fire Department and Miss South Carolina, Carolyn Gaines; 15. Miss Sumter, Carol Frances Kuhn; 16. Hejaz Shrine montorcycle unit; 17, Miss Landrum, Margaret Jean Parker; 18, Don Hickey, WFBC-TV; 19, Miss Liberty, Betty Ann Prince; 20, Palmetto State Oil Co.; 21, Miss Graniteville, Carol Hughey; 22, Peach Festival beauty pageant judges; 23, Florence Chapel High School band; 24, Miss Florence, Sue Smith; 25, Mayor Robert L. Stoddard of Spartanburg, Mayor David Traxler of Greenville; 26, E. R. Taylor and Sons, Greer Federal Savings and Loan, and South Carolina Farm Bureau Queen, Judy Barefoot; 27, Miss Simpsonville, Rose Mary Web; 28, Greer Civil Defense unit; 29, to be announced; 30, Miss Columbia, Patricia Arnold.
31, Miss Rambi Raceway, Faye Creel; 32, Pageland Watermelon Queen, Mary Frances Kelly; 33, Miss Piedmont, Elaine Ruth Woods; 34, Miss Gaffney, Sarah Bryan Patrick; 35, Branch Motor Lines; 36, Miss Clemson, Helen McConnell; 37, Clemson University officials; 38, Greer Jaycees float, Miss Greer, Kay Wright; 39, Miss Aiken, Jeanne Hendrick; 40, Greer Jaycee drag strip.
41, Greenville High School Band; 42, Miss Greenville, Betty Simpson; 43, to be announced; 44, Bank of Greer; 45, Miss Easley, Brenda Carman; 46, Greer City Council; 47, Greer Commission of Public Works; 48, to be announced; 49, Solicitor B. O. (Tommy) Thompson; 50, Hejaz Shrine scooter unit.
51, Darlington 500, Miss Southern 500, Nancy Sanders; 52, Miss Honea Path, Janet Blackwell; 53, Miss Greenwood, Freda Holtzclaw; 54, Greer Chamber of Commerce, North Carolina Rhododendron Queen, Branda Lee Bost; 55, Miss Mullins, Nancy Taylor; 56, to be announced; 57, Miss Summerville, Randy Pelto Parris; 58, Ratterree-James; 59, Hillcrest High School Band; 60, Miss Williston, Peggy Porter.
61, C&S National Bank; 62, Miss Pageland, Billie Reeves; 63, Miss Mount Pleasant, Carol A. Thomas; 64 Homelite; 65, Southern Railway; 66, Miss Wade Hampton - Taylors, Connie Elaine Copeland; 67, Sen. Charles C. Moore, Spartanburg County; 68 and 69, Spartanburg County Delegation; 70, Miss Charleston, Pam Tovey.
71. Beaufort Water Festival, Ruth Henderson; 72, Miss Anderson, Barbary Thompson; 73 and 74, to be announced; 75, Miss Langley - Bath - Clearwater; Wanda Ruth Walden; 76, Lyman Printing and Finishing Co.; 77, Sterling High School Band; 78, Miss Pelzer - Williamston, Margaret Ann Kelly; 79, Dobson Brothers Orchard; 80, Spartanburg County supervisor and sheriff.
81, Miss Spartanburg runner-up, Sheila Ann Fogle; 82, Pet Milk Co., South Carolina Apple Queen, Elaine Mason; 83, Go-Karts, Hendrix Amusement Center; 84, Miss Manning, Mary Mathis; 85, Miss Marion, Jane Rogers; 86, to be announced; 87, Miss Union, Anne Garter; 88, J. P. Stevens Co. float, 89, and 90, J. P. Stevens officials.
91. miss Chester, Mayce Crowder; 92, to be announced; 93, Miss Ninety-Six, Frances Harriet Ivester; 94, Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Co., North Carolina Apple Queen, Linda Faye White; 95, Greenville County sheriff and supervisor; 96, Miss Calhoun falls, Rhea Payne; 97, Miss Fountain Inn, Mary Alice Thompson; 98, to be announced; 99, Allen Bennett Hospital.
Festival's President Extends Greetings
Miles M. Bruce, president of the South Carolina Peach Festival Association, has extended the association's greetings and a welcome to Greer for the eighth annual salute to the Palmetto State's leading fresh fruit crop.
"We trust that you will enjoy each event you are able to attend," Bruce said.
"Join us in Greer for the festival, you will be assured of a hearty welcome by the city," he added.
Bruce also expressed appreciation to all who have helped in getting the eighth annual festival into action and especially thanked those Greer families who have opened their doors to visiting queens and contestants.
"Each event of the festival has had careful planning and thought, so come along to Greer," Bruce said.
[photo caption]
Freezing weather in late March virtually wiped out the area's 1964 peach crop, but it did not kill the spirit of the faithful few who today carry on the annual salute to the King Peach. Every king must have a queen, so lovely Diane Thompson-- the reigning queen, finds her throne a green-leafed trees as she bids a hearty welcome to Greer and the eighth annual South Carolina Peach Festival opening today -- with a handful of peaches but a trainload of enthusiasm.
Greer Hosts 35 Beauties
The eighth annual South Carolina Peach Festival, attracting thousands to downtown Greer, will stage its 1964 Peach Parade today at 4 p.m.
This mammoth carnival of color, featuring beautiful girls, giant floats ad many dignitaries, will convert the usually quiet Poinsett Street into a gay playground.
Spinetingling music will usher in the 35 contestants for the state peach queen crown now worn by Diane Thompson.
Miss North Carolina, tall and talented Jeanne Flinn Swanner is expected to be among visiting beauty queens with Miss South Carolina, Carolyn Gaines.
Dignitaries will be honored at a tea at 5:30 p.m. and tonight at 7 in Greer High School cafeteria the Queen and Peach Growers Banquet will feature recognition of an outstanding pioneer orchardist in the state.
Teenagers will swing into action at 8 p.m. with the Hi-Fi Club dance in downtown Greer.
Thursday's schedule calls for a press and swim party, giving photographers an exciting opportunity for informal pictures of the beauty contestants. Later in the morning the contestants will hold their first rehearsal.
Time out for a tour of Greenville-Spartanburg Airport will be taken at 3 p.m. and beauty pageant preliminaries will sart at 7:30 p.m. at Greer High School. Greer Jaycees are handling beauty pageant arrangements.
A Queen's Ball will wind up Thursday's program at 9:30 p.m.
Friday's agenda opens with another rehearsal at 11:30 a.m. with an informal luncheon for queens at 1 p.m. and a visit to merchants by the girls at 2:30 p.m.
A South Carolina Peach Queen for 1964 will be crowned Friday night.
The girls, already holding city and area titles in their own communities, are staying in homes of Greer residents during the festival.
Saturday's schedule calls for the Greer Coin Club's annual show at 9 a.m. An all-day barbecue is also on tap with the Peach Festival Drag Race at the Greer Jaycees' Drag Strip at 8:30 p.m. the closing event.
Peach Festival Medal Offered As Souvenir
The Greer Coin Club is offering a unique souvenir of the eighth annual South Carolina Peach Festival.
The club has had 1,000 medals struck and will be offered for sale at a nominal cost during the festival. These are nickel silver.
One side of the medal contains names of all previous winners of the Peach Queen title.
One medal has been struck in gold and will be awarded to the new queen who will be crowned at close of the 1964 festival.
All previous queens will receiving sterling silver medals.
John Jones is chairman of the Greer Coin Club's fourth annual show which will be staged Saturday at 9 a.m. at Greer Armory.
Top Performers For Festival
Two outstanding television personalities will be on the program of the eighth annual South Carolina Peach Festival.
Snooky Lanson, former star of "Hit Parade" and his band will be joined by Clu Gulager, formerly of the "Billy, The Kid" TV series and scheduled to join "The Virginian" this fall.
Here Are The Officers Of State Peach Festival Association
[left to right]
Miles Bruce, President
George Beckroge, 1st Vice President
Wilton Gibson, 2nd Vice President
Duke Tucker, 3rd Vice President
Mrs. Kenneth Burgess, Secretary
Wirron Leonard,
Treasurer
Dan Mackey, Executive Secretary
W. H. Botts, Past President - Relation
- Related sources are all from the 1964 Peach Festival and are kept in same archival box
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1964 Peach Festival program
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Photograph: St. Petersburg, FL parade, Peach Queen Pam Tovey
Part of Newspaper clipping: Peach Parade Thrills Thousands Today