The Jefferson County Rhododendron Festival was created to provide family fun and entertainment, and to bring business to Port Townsend by spotlighting the area's brilliant natural rhododendrons - the Washington state flower.

While preparing for a newsreel visit by Hearst Metrotone News (which provided "short subjects" to theaters throughout the United States) to highlight the natural rhododendron blooms, it was suggested that a few pretty girls should join the flowers on film: There were 13 candidates for "Rhody royalty," and one of them was Myrtle Olsen.

"George McCleary sponsored me," Myrtle Olsen Osborne told the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader in 1999. "He had a photography shop. You got coupons from the stores and filled in the name you wanted for queen."

When the royalty contest was done, Olsen received the most votes. Hattie Lager and Margret Skinner were voted princesses. Olsen remembers the first photo session: posing for photographers while surrounded by rhododendrons. About 2,000 people gathered to watch the coronation ceremony staged outside the Odd Fellow's Hall (Uptown Theatre) on Lawrence Street.

"A funny thing happened when I was queen," Olsen said. "George McCleary, who had a photographer's shop, just as he was taking the picture of Gov. Martin putting the crown on my head, his bulb broke and he never got a picture of the governor crowning me."

The first festival "was a very exciting time in Port Townsend," Olsen recalled.

"We didn't do any speeches or anything," she said. "I think the first float was a car decorated with flowers."

The Port Townsend American Legion Post No. 26 sponsored the first actual Rhododendron Festival in 1937. The Chamber of Commerce took over in the 1960s, followed in the 1980s by the independent Rhododendron Festival Association, still an all-volunteer effort.

Rhody Fest remains the state's one and only official rhododendron festival.

There was no major festival or royalty from 1942 to 1945, during the critical years of World War II, but a kiddie's parade and other youth-oriented activities were held. A bigger parade returned in the spring of 1945, and royalty were again chosen in 1946. The original "floats" were trucks or trailers decorated with flowers and other design materials. Downtown Port Townsend stores responded with window decorations of their own.

The festival week is also known as a favorite time for reunions of family and friends, drawn back to the home county with carnival and parade memories.

Rhody "week" is one of the busiest four-day periods in Jefferson County all year. It's a chance for children and adults to wear costumes and play in public, and up until 2008 (and for many years since at the Quilcene Community Fair), the only time traditional carnival attractions set up in Jefferson County. The Rhody Carnival, until the late 1990s, was set up on city streets downtown; it later was relocated to Jefferson County Memorial Athletic Field.

The Rhododendron Festival Float travels to a half-dozen parades from May into September; and royalty makes additional appearances. There are fewer floats on the Pacific Northwest parade circuit than in the 1980s and previous years, because of travel costs and volunteer commitment.

RHODY ROYALTY

In the early days, female royalty was selected based on the number of votes each received. Votes were linked to tickets or coupons available at local businesses. Rhody booster buttons were introduced in 1948, and the royalty candidate selling the most became queen.

In 1960, it was decided that the candidates would sell booster buttons, but the court would be chosen by a panel of out-of-town judges.

At various times in Rhody history, candidates have been selected by different methods, including schools or community groups nominating people for the official royalty coronation program.

For many years now, royalty candidates are selected based on how they present themselves during public speaking engagements, during an interview with judges and the actual coronation program each March.

For successful completion of her duties, the queen receives a $1,500 scholarship, and each princess (or as in 2014, a prince) receives $1,000.

Junior royalty were introduced in the early 1960s. First-graders from the Brinnon, Quilcene, Chimacum and Port Townsend elementary schools apply. Names are drawn from a hat, literally, to select a prince and princess representing each school.

The Queen's Court for middle school students was introduced in 2003. Samantha Smith is the first to be Junior Royalty, Queen's Court and in 2015, Rhododendron Festival queen.

Senior Association royalty as part of the festival has become common over the past 20 years.

Thanks to the volunteers, the parents and children, and the businesses that want to be part of Rhody Fest history, Rhody royalty tradition continues.