By Marianne Lincoln

Admittedly, I had to work today. But since I work my regular job in downtown Tacoma, I managed to get out at break a catch a few glimpses of the parade participants at 9:30 a.m., half an hour before start time.

The Daffodil Festival float was a sea of black garbage bag covered seats. The princesses were still out celebrating the winners of the morning run. The plastic kept their seats dry, just in case. It wasn’t raining at the time.

Two men were sitting on the float, as it turns out, they are the float drives your never see in the sea of yellow dresses and sparkly tiaras. Ed, who was sitting in the drivers seat told me he has been driving the festival float for 28 years. Here’s to you Ed! The uncelebrated hero of all the Princesses.

And what parade is complete without the official Scottish bagpipers to lead the festival float? I finish off my scenes with views from the window of the Columbia Bank building where I caught the rest of the parade as I could.