
Scene from the Mum Festival Parade |
Mum Festival
Since 1962 this annual fall festival has been a time-honored
community tradition, established by the chamber of commerce to
focus attention on the positive aspects of the city of Bristol. The
first festival featured a parade, a chrysanthemum ball, and the
first Miss Bristol competition. The following year, the festival's
name was changed to the Bristol Chrysanthemum Festival to celebrate
the abundant chrysanthemum crop, for which the area is known as
"Mum City, U.S.A."
The crowning of the Mum Queen (for ages 17 to 24) and
Miss Mum (for teens 14 to 16) kicks off the festival. The two-week
gala accentuates the arts, including theater, music, and dance, and
athletics. Among the activities are live entertainment; fashion,
art and auto shows; a food fest; and a "mumathon" run. Weekend
festivities are held at three farms that include a Civil War
re-enactment, train rides and hay rides. During the festival
period, museums and other community facilities hold open house or
provide reduced admission.
From late September through October, more than 80,000
plants bloom in the Bristol area. Many of these blooms were
developed by Bristol Nurseries, where five to seven new varieties
were introduced for many years until 1986. The nurseries' annual
mums display attracted thousands of visitors annually, and was the
inspiration for the theme of the "mum" festival.
Documentation comprises four color and three
black-and-white snapshots, a section on the Mum Festival from the
Hartford Courant, a 1997 Mum Festival program, a Mum
Festival map, a brochure from the 1999 event, and a booklet on the
Greater Bristol Chamber of Commerce.
Originally submitted by: Nancy Johnson, Representative (6th District).
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The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.
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