Photo courtesy Gloucester County Parks, Recreation & Tourism
Ever since early Virginia settlers smuggled daffodil bulbs into the Colonies under their skirts, spring has been accompanied by an abundance of daffodils in Gloucester.
“[Daffodils are] a symbol of hope and spring and the flourishing of the community,” says Katey Legg, director of Gloucester County Parks, Recreation & Tourism and director of the annual Gloucester Daffodil Festival.
The two-day celebration, which runs from April 2-3, includes a parade, artisan craft market, food vendors, carnival games, a dog show, a “Daffodil Festival Queen” competition and a scholarship competition for students. In addition, the festival will showcase live performances by folk band Whiskey Rebellion; blues and soul band Soul Expression; and for the kids, the “Pied Piper of percussion,” Steve Grib.
After hosting a virtual festival in 2020 and a festival in 2021 that was greatly reduced in size, Gloucester is excited to restore the celebration to its pre-pandemic format and welcome back a crowd that Legg predicts will be 20,000 to 25,000 people.
“It’s such a great community event,” Legg says. “We try to keep the small-town feel, even with the big festival.”
This year, the festival will incorporate the mid-Atlantic daffodil show for the American Daffodil Society, where growers will exhibit their daffodils.
True daffodil fanatics may travel to daffodil shows across Virginia to show their flowers and enter them to be judged, says Jennifer Potter, the Virginia Daffodil Society Show chair.
Daffodil Narcissus "Tahiti" (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
The Virginia Daffodil Society will hold its annual show at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden on Saturday, March 26. In the show, daffodils are entered into divisions based on color, type of daffodil and growing experience and judged by a team of certified judges.
“They’re basically looking for a perfect daffodil,” Potter says. “There’s no tears, no dirt on it, no nicks; the flower is looking up at you.”
Daffodil shows attract expert growers, but everyone with a daffodil or two that they want to show off is encouraged to join, Potter says. “It’s just a fun way to learn about daffodils. And usually, when you win a blue ribbon, you’re hooked, and you want to go back and get another one.”
Virginia Daffodil Society Show Chair Jennifer Potter shares the details about the annual show on the March 23 edition of "Virginia This Morning."
