(note: I’ve shared this several times over the years…but the memories remain the same – Randy)

Today, the famous Rose Festival that Thomasville is known for across the globe is in full stride. The event has evolved over the years in ways our newer residents can’t have a clue about.

Some may not know that ‘Rose Parade Day’ was an official school holiday. The parade began about 10:30 a.m., and knowing the hallways would be empty as a result, the local schools just took the day off and joined in.

That parade was (and is) a huge deal, quite literally the premiere event of the year for the town and the county. ‘Back in the day’ – and I’m not kidding – if you didn’t have a good seat by 9 a.m. or so you just weren’t going to have one, with the crowd along the parade route always several rows deep.

Downtown pretty much closed up for the day, too. As a teenager, I worked as a jewelry repair guy on the heart of Broad Street at Henderson Jewelry (previously Manz Jewelry for many years). Through my job, I got to know great men like Al Dixon, Lawson Neel, Joe Rosolio, Cris CoCroft, Osco Hughes, Jim Pettigrew of Jim’s Jewelry (“that’ll be three dollars and no cents, and if you’ve got three dollars I’ve got no sense..”), and other business owners along the bricks who I always called “The Broad Street Regiment.” They were quite a crew individually and collectively.

I never once heard any of them complain about closing for the parade. In fact, most of them made it an annual festivus along with everyone else. In an age where small town downtowns were losing shoppers to more flashy malls, they saw the parade as a chance to simply show downtown off to many folks who otherwise would probably never visit otherwise.

There are so many parade memories that stand out, especially the bands who showed up in droves. In fact, for several years there was a competition held for the high school bands that came from all over Georgia, north Florida, and even parts of Alabama and beyond.

Thomasville or Central’s bands always alternated leading the parade, Cairo placed in the middle. Each of them always more than held their own in comparison to the many other bands who regularly made the trip, including much larger schools like Colquitt County, Lowndes County, and Tift County.

From then-governor-future-president Jimmy Carter driving a John Deere tractor to Governor Lester Maddox riding his bicycle backward to the University of Georgia band coming from Athens, there was always something to look forward to in the parade. 

The Miss Thomasville pageant was held this week, and had so many girls in it the competition had to be held over two nights. And man, what a fantastic group of young women participated, many who went on to become Miss Georgia (another great point of pride). The Rose Queen always closed out the parade on her float.

It was always a tradition to pack a picnic and head to Paradise Park (originally known as ‘Yankee’s Paradise Park’ for the unschooled) and listen to music as local bands would perform under the gazebo there.

Every year, I always looked forward to walking around Thomasville Nursery, unofficially called “Thomasville’s Rose Garden.” Paul Hjort and his family ran it (it was very near Mom & Dad’s restaurant on Smith Avenue), picking up where founder Peter Hjort started it way back in 1898.

Ahh, those roses: Double Delight, Sunrise Sunset, All-American Beauty, Tropicana, Peace (always my favorite), Queen Elizabeth, etc. I would buy one from Hjort’s almost every year, take it home, plant it, and eventually find a way to kill it.

I guess my green thumb never had a flair for them – which always made it so much more flummoxing for me to walk through the official ‘Rose Show’ (usually at the fairgrounds) and the wonderful flower show held in Paradise Park where I saw how experts could make them not only live but bloom oh so beautifully.

Of course, things change, and the Rose Parade/Festival hasn’t been immune. When the state started clamping down on the number of days students could miss from school, the parade pretty much had to be moved to Friday evening. Hjort’s closed in 1994, and every one of “The Broad Street Regiment” has passed away.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean things have changed for the worse. While I still miss the morning parade, things like the street dance and all of the ‘new stuff’ have only enhanced the experience. The tradition is still very, very rich.

And through it all those wonderful roses are still the centerpiece. Have you been by the Rose Garden by Cherokee Lake, where over 600 plants are full of flowers (clearly not under my care)? 

More simply, have you driven around and just looked at Thomasville? If not, you should.

This week marks your chance to go make some memories of your own with your family, and for “The Rose City” to be in full bloom for the world to see. Get out there, enjoy it, and be proud of the place you call home.