Charles’ 
Slide of the Week: March 2nd, 2007
Camellia Festival, Temple City, 1958
A young Camellia Queen-with-attitude is perched on her gold foil-wrapped throne centered on a pull cart glorified with camellias. She and her lavender clad court of one are just sitting there. The parade has come to a halt. The royal pull cart is powered by a trio of bobby socked brownies standing side by side in near military precision. Their fearless Girl Scout leader-chaperone is uniformed with a regulation hat and white buttoned up and bow tied blouse over a smart straight skirt. Her double strapped, chunk heeled, open-toed sling backs with side vents stand out quite nicely against asphalt. She doesn’t know it but her slip is showing. The sparse crowd of sidewalk sitters looks onward.
Darn it, we just missed the 63rd annual Temple City Camellia Festival Parade. It happened just last weekend. Oh well, maybe next year! Think: a very miniature scale rose parade with camellias and kids. The highlight of the festival is the parade of charming children riding on camellia decorated floats and the young king and queen. The youngest queen, crowned in 1950, was just eight months old.
Temple City is one of the many sparkling jewels in Los Angeles’ crown of space age suburban cities. Oddly, there is no Temple in Temple City. But there is an abundance of Camellias. The city mothers made sure of that. In 1944 the lovely ladies of the Temple City Woman’s Club held a contest to choose an official city flower and slogan. Camellias became the flower and “Home of Camellias” became the slogan. Later that year they held the first Camellia Festival Parade. Great idea ladies, thank you!
Here’s to Them, Camellias, Festivals, Queens with attitude and YOU!
Charles Phoenix
Los Angeles
March 2007
Sets this Slide belongs to:
Fairs, Festivals, Pageants and Parades
12 Comments on “Camellia Festival, Temple City, 1958”
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March 2nd, 2007 at 2:26 pm
My home town ! Cool. This is the intersection of Encinitas and Las Tunas. I marched in that parade quit a few times. That house in the picture is still there to this day. In fact it is the only house on Las Tunas. The beauty shop is long gone.
Our house which was just south of Las Tunas had a huge Camilla bush in the front yard that bloomed pink flowers every year in February. This brings back awesome memories. I am taking you next year Charles ! Temple City was actually purchased by a guy named Temple, who purchased it from Baldwin, who purchased it from Huntington. Not much of old TC remains but it was a great place to grow up! Very Americana for sure.
March 2nd, 2007 at 3:41 pm
For the record, I just wanted you to know that there are (or were) many Temples in Temple City. And I think it’s safe to say that the majority of them are related to Pliny Fisk Temple, an early L.A. settler and the father of 11, including Walter who founded Temple City. Interestingly, Temple City was founded in 1936 but did not become an actual incorporated city until 1960. Until then, I guess it was just ‘the community of Temple City.’ That doesn’t really roll off the tongue, does it?
Thanks for another great pic. Sorry to be a geek about local history.
March 2nd, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Miss Queen-with-Attitude would be right at home in that snazzy blue glider-with-awning in the background! I think her attitude may stem from the fact that ONLY ONE PERSON along the parade route is looking at her! Is that any way to treat a Queen?
March 2nd, 2007 at 8:53 pm
“Oddly, there is no Temple in Temple City.”
This is because the city was named after the man who built it in the 1920s as a planned middle class community. This man was Walter P Temple. Read about him at the site below.
http://www.homesteadmuseum.org/index.htm
March 2nd, 2007 at 9:16 pm
I saw one of the shows at the Curtis Theater in BRea and just really enjoyed it.
I now have many slides from Greece taken about 40 years ago by a relative who has passed on. These were taken of various architechural things since he was a painter and probably wanted to use for future art work. If you would like these, I will send them to you since I have no use for them.
March 3rd, 2007 at 11:38 am
Hello, Charles
I’m from Kansas City and the American Royal Parade every fall accompanied the livestock and horse show. When I was 5 years old, my mother took us to see the parade. We came home and made paper crowns, put ribbon through the hem of a lace curtain and became kings and queens for about a week afterward. 10 years later I marched with my tiny high school band (30 members tops) crashing the cymbals and slopping my white bucks through piles of horse droppings. I will try to send you the photo of me as the “Royal” queen 1950. Best to you! Edie
March 3rd, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I grew up in Temple City, a bedroom community in the San Gabriel Valley. All three square miles of it are developed to capacity, mostly residential, with Las Tunas being the major “business district”, consisting largely of asian bridal shops in this day, but at one time, boasting charming shops, including the Country Book Store and Cool’s Candy. My mom still lives there, though the camellia bushes that once adorned her yard are long gone.
I marched in the parade many times as a youth. In fact, last weekend, as my mom and I strolled down the parade route, we discussed how it’s nearly impossible for any resident to avoid participation. Everyone of my three siblings were involved in some capacity or another. Even my parents were chauffeured in a vintage car a few years ago when my mom reigned as Temple City’s Citizen of the Year.
The parade, at one time, had as many as 50 pushcart “floats”, but sadly, there were fewer than 10 at this most recent festival.
A little trivia about the Camellia Court: Every year, Temple City FIRST Graders gather in a Parks and Rec room for a two day selection process called “playdays”. It is at these playdays that they choose the court that will represent the city at it’s annual event. It was also at these playdays in the late 1970’s that my best girl friend from high school met her future husband, both of whom were selected to be on the court, in fact, she was later named queen. They would meet again at an Applebees 20 years later, where he recognized her as “the girl in the picture on his living room wall.” Ah, Temple City. . .
The Camellia Festival Parade is always the last Saturday in February (rarely rained out) and includes a weekend long carnival at the park at the end of the route.
March 3rd, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Oy vey! There is a Temple Beth David in Temple City.
The reason everyone is looking left, (west) is because the parade is staged two blocks away. It ends a mile and a half east at Temple City Park, like it did last weekend.
And you never cease to amaze me Charles. First it was the ruffled lamp shades of the late 50’s/early 60’s that really did a flashback for me, and now a picture from 49 years ago taken two blocks from my house!
Thanks for the memories.
March 4th, 2007 at 12:05 am
“LOVED IT” Oh to be a QUEEN, I am sure I can relate…so they tell me! And Charles, do not forget that I am near the biggest neon queen in San Bernardino (the one at Queens Cafe)no longer in business, but the queen is still there.
March 5th, 2007 at 1:49 am
After a long and exhausting campaign,the Munchkins have finally subdued and conquered the humans.All are made to kneel before the Alpha Munchkin Queen!The humble subjects must now tow the mobile throne to Randy Newman’s house to accept his formal declaration of unconditional surrender.An odd end to the Yellow Brick Road!!! The Horror……The Horror…….
Anyways,Hi Charles,How are things?
March 5th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Regal, quite regal. Unfortunately, the young royalty appear to have a California “been there, done that” attitude.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Charles, you constantly amaze me. Love.