Ladies and Gentleman, welcome back to the Buzz: Blog and our Alumnae Spotlights! Today we are highlighting our integral Daffodil Historian Kelly Hewitt! Kelly served as the Lakes Princess in 2010 under President Karen Baskett. Their theme, Carousel of Spring focused on the everchanging elements of the springtime. She was awarded Miss Congeniality during her reign and has been involved with the Festival since! She is currently studying for her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at Washington State. Stepping into the role of Historian has opened her eyes to the wonders of the Daffodil Festival and all the unique aspects of our organization. She wants to share an important message that history is preserved through you, so if you have any testimonies, photography, or memorabilia please reach out through email at historian@thedaffodilfestival.org.
Q: What was your journey with the Daffodil Festival? Can you share your favorite story from your reign with us?
A: “I was the representative from Lakes High School for the 2010 Daffodil Festival season, themed Carousel of Spring. During the 2010 season, we did a ton of community outreach. My favorite memory was going to my old elementary school to give a speech at the 5th Grade Graduation ceremony. I had remembered sitting in the same seats those 5th graders were, and I got to share my hopes and dreams for them as they embark on their academic futures. Crazy to think those students are probably graduated from college now!”
Q: What does the Daffodil Festival mean to you?
A: “My time as a member of the Royal Court boosted my confidence. I had gone from a shy teenager to someone who had the confidence to speak up! These short 12 months grew me as an individual and gave me a sense of self, propelling me toward self-assuredness that set me up for success in college and beyond.
In addition to this, the Festival also gave me a greater community to be a part of. Finding out someone is from Pierce County provides a sense of camaraderie when we are able to have a joint experience with the Daffodil Festival. This past spring, I mentored an undergraduate research assistant in the research lab I work in. She had mentioned her parents putting up yellow lights for the springtime to celebrate a local festival and I immediately knew she was from Pierce County! Turned out, she was the Daffodil Princess representing Puyallup High School in 2020 and had also been voted Miss Congeniality for her court, just like me! That added sense of community bonded us together and I was lucky enough to help write her a letter of recommendation.”
Princess Kelly (left) with Princess Cara 2020 Puyallup High School in the Brain Alcohol Research (BAR) Lab at Washington State University
Q: What is your favorite thing you’ve learned about the Daffodil Festival as our historian?
A: “Stepping up as the Historian has opened my eyes to the amazing history of our Festival. There are so many cool stories and fun facts that I’ve learned and it’s difficult to choose just one to share. I’ve loved being able to see the evolution of the Festival’s values across the decades, which gives insight into the culture of the PNW during that time.
Some fun facts that I’ve discovered:
- Although we have established the tradition of all princesses donning yellow dresses with the queen in white, this was not always the case! In the early years, the queen donned a royal purple gown! Other years, such as 1958, the Royal Court wore a rainbow variety of dresses.
- The themes for each year of the Festival have ultimately been decided by the year’s Festival President but some presidents got creative! For example, 1966’s theme of “This Land of Ours” was determined through a write-in contest. Ms. Anita Kundle not only won the honor of her theme being chosen, but she also won a daffodil-yellow Oldsmobile convertible from one of the year’s sponsors!
- As a WSU alumni and current graduate student, I was thrilled to see the Pullman Lentil Festival participate in the 1992 Grand Floral Parade. Thank you to Jean Jones for donating her VHS recordings of past parades. I would have never known that Butch T. Cougar, the WSU Spirit Squad, and Tase T. Lentil had a float in the Daffodil Festival’s Grand Floral Parade!
I want to emphasize that history is preserved through you! If you are willing to share testimonials of a Festival-related event, photographs associated with the Festival, or even Festival memorabilia, please reach out to me. Our history is too precious to allow it to disappear. Feel free to send me an email at historian@thedaffodilfestival.org if you have a piece of history you wish to share”
Q: What lessons have you learned through the Festival that has helped you?
A: “And, of course, I will always remember Miss Connie’s etiquette lesson: The salt and pepper shakers are married, they always need to be passed together.”
Q: Can you share an experience of support you received with the Daffodil Festival?
A: “It’s hard to pinpoint a single experience of support received via the Daffodil Festival. Most obviously, the scholarship from the Daffodil Scholarship Foundation alleviated the financial burden of attending college. But beyond that, it’s the relationships that I developed that have extended beyond that single year of service. Even though the 2010 Royal Court has scattered to the four corners of the earth, I know I can rely on them. Furthermore, the chaperones and Daffodilians that I had met are still supporting me to this day. Even though I have grown and moved away from Pierce County, I still have a home thanks to the wonderful people within the Daffodil Festival.”
Q: What is your vocation and what job(s) do you do outside of the Festival?
A: “I’m currently working toward my Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at Washington State University investigating sex differences in the neural circuits that underlie alcohol dependence. Fingers crossed I’ll be graduating in spring 2026, but science is never predictable! If anyone is going to be at WSU Pullman in the 2025-2026 school year, I would love to connect with you. You might even take one of the Psychology courses I’m teaching.”
Q: Any last comments?
A: “If anyone from 2010 is reading this, know that we are hoping to have a mini reunion at this year’s auction (March 1, 2025 at the Tacoma Yacht Club; more information: https://thedaffodilfestival.org/event/daffodil-festival-auction/). Hope to see you there! :)”
Thank you, Daffodil Historian Kelly, for your time and unwavering dedication to the Daffodil Festival. We would have lost so much history without your efforts in preserving and appreciating our deep history.