Queen Of Our Hearts Former Lilac Queens Share Their Memories

Even if the lilacs haven’t bloomed yet, the Lilac Festival still has Spokane in its grip this week, especially with the parade just three days away.

Undoubtedly, the biggest celebrities of this festive week each year are the queen and her princess court.

The title Lilac queen has survived some 56 years.

Indeed, the crown means something different to each of the former queens. To some, it was the best thing to ever happen to them. To others, it was a mere stepping stone. Yet to all, serving Spokane as ambassadors remains as much an honor today as it was in 1940.

Here’s what five former queens thought of their reigns.

Bobbee Judd Eddy, 1942

When Bobbee Judd Eddy was chosen to represent Spokane in 1942 as the third Lilac queen, America was at war with Germany and Japan.

Trains carried troops to various destinations throughout the country so the soldiers could be shipped overseas. Many of these trains stopped briefly in Spokane.

As the trains poured through, Eddy and her court handed soldiers bouquets of lilac flowers as a token of goodwill and for good luck.

According to Eddy, 72, the whole town was overcome with Lilac Festival fever in those days. The event brought an entire community together.

“People were very proud of Lilac week in Spokane, the Lilac City. It was really in thick,” recalls Eddy, a retired schoolteacher. “The town shops had windows decorated in lilac scenes.

“It was very beautiful then. The town was beautiful and there was a tremendous shower of lilacs in the Davenport (Hotel) fountain.”

Because of wartime conditions, all the major Lilac Festival events - choosing princesses, holding a coronation ball and assembling a parade - were canceled in 1943, 1944 and 1945.

“All social stuff curbed down in Spokane,” Eddy says.

During the war, Spokane was subjected to blackouts and gas and tire restrictions so staging the Lilac Parade wasn’t possible. However, the festival continued with displays of lilacs in stores throughout the city. Lilac shoots were also distributed by the Associated Garden Clubs to local residents.

Eddy herself enlisted in the armed forces. She was a part of the historic Women’s Air Corps, but she was never sent overseas.

With the war over, the Lilac Festival re-bloomed in May of 1946.

Today, Eddy is still active in the event (she served as master of ceremonies at the Associated Garden Club’s annual Lilac Festival luncheon at the Associated Garden Clubs’ annual Lilac Festival luncheon at the Ridpath Hotel on Monday), and she still sees significant value in being a Lilac princess.

“I got a very excellent training, and I think the girls now get a very good training and learning - training how to speak and how to present (themselves) before the public,” she says. “I think one of the problems now is they’re (current princesses) so busy. Now they’re into a much more heavier load than we had then. It moves faster.”

Karen Stratton, 1977

For Karen Stratton, being chosen Lilac queen in 1977 was still as big a deal as it was when the festival started crowning queens in 1940.

“I don’t know if it’s such a big thing now for 17- and 18-year-olds in high school,” says Stratton, 37, who graduated from Marycliff (now defunct). “Back then, it was a really fun thing. All the high schools got involved.

“For me it was just another activity. I think I had a real good sense that it wasn’t my whole life. It was fun, something I tried, I enjoyed it, but it kind of fit into my lifestyle as far as always being involved.”

Community commitments included making appearances at parades across the nation. Today, princesses also perform some volunteer work, such as visiting area hospitals.

Following her stint as Lilac queen, Stratton involved herself even more in the community, following in the footsteps of her parents, Allen and Lois, both prominent political figures in Spokane and Washington state.

Between juggling classes at Eastern Washington University, she worked as a legislative aide in Olympia.

Until having a baby recently and becoming a mother full time, Stratton was director of human services at Washington State University in Spokane. In 1993, Stratton managed her mother’s campaign for mayor.

In the years to come, Stratton would like to see the Lilac Festival strive for diversity.

“There’s something to be said about tradition. I’m a real traditionalist. There’s always room for change … I would like to see a far more diverse court, but I don’t think that’s the festival’s fault.”

Amy Schimmels Parish, 1985

One of Amy Schimmels Parish’s earliest childhood dreams was to be crowned Lilac queen.

“I just always thought the Lilac princesses were really neat,” says Parish, a Ferris graduate. “As a little girl, it’s like ‘I want to be a princess someday.”’

Eleven years after her reign, Parish still feels an attachment to the crown.

“As a senior in high school, that was one of the first times I ever got involved in very much that went on within the community. Now, every time Lilac time comes around, you can feel that tug at your heart. You can’t help but remember back, and Lilac week just has a special place in your heart every year.”

Today, Parish is a married mother of two, a son and a daughter, and owns a business, a construction services company. But that’s become part time since much of her day is spent being a parent.

Tiffany Brickner, 1992

Tiffany Brickner saw her term as a Lilac queen as an opportunity to give something back to the community.

“When I first started, I didn’t really know a lot about the Lilac Festival. I did it more as a challenge to myself,” says Brickner, 21, who resides in Lacey, Wash. “I knew (about) some part of the community service. I went to Gonzaga Prep, and one of the things that they always pushed was getting involved in the community.”

She continues to work within the community as a veterinary assistant and service coordinator at a veterinarian’s office in the Olympia area.

Carrie Keyes, 1995

“It’s actually the best experience I’ve ever had so far,” says Carrie Keyes of her time as a Lilac queen. “I loved it.”

Keyes, 19, a Shadle Park graduate, just completed her freshman year at WSU, where she’s studying nutrition. Following graduation, she plans to devote much of her time as a Lilac Festival volunteer.

One of her favorite Lilac memories is meeting hundreds of people throughout the region, from the instructors at the Fairchild Survival School to the children in local hospitals.

Wearing the crown also helped boost her appreciation of the city.

“I don’t think anyone appreciates Spokane unless you’re involved in it,” says Keyes.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 3 photos (2 color)

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: LILAC PARADE The Tidyman’s Lilac Festival Armed Forces Torchlight Parade will begin at 7:45 p.m. Saturday at the corner of Washington and Spokane Falls Boulevard. The parade, kicked off with a low-altitude flyover by a KC-135 from Fairchild, features 204 entries.