Santa Barbara's Flower Festival.
I do not think that you have heard much of the yearly flower carnival held in Santa Barbara. This city is noted for its large and beautiful flowers and foliage, and also for semi-tropical trees, such as palms, bananas, guavas, lemons, oranges, and loquats. The festival lasts about three or four days, and comes almost always in the middle of April. The one I am going to describe is that of last April. Unfortunately about a week before it the pavilion in which was to be the carnival ball was burned, and with it all the flags, bunting, and other decorations. This dampened the spirits of the people, but thanks to the help of some of the prominent citizens, money was soon raised for the decorations and a temporary pavilion was built.
State Street, the main thoroughfare, was beautifully decorated, and several arches spanned it. Tribunes were erected for a block and a half, in which the people were to sit while the procession passed by. The carnival opened on Monday. The first feature was the riding at rings at the race-track. On Wednesday there was the flower show at the pavilion, followed in the evening by a concert. On Thursday the grand floral parade took place, and this was the gala day of the carnival. Floats, spring wagons, surreys, phaetons, carts, and horses were covered with flowers, and prizes were awarded to the best-decorated vehicles. Friday night a grand flower ball took place, opened by the French minuet in costume, and attended by a number of United States naval officers of the United States cruiser Olympia.
Sir Fredric N.
California.