Recently we came across this picture from the November 30, 1929, Daily Times newspaper.
We can only imagine how much fun it was to have cold enough weather to freeze the lagoon at Vander Veer Park that early in the skating season.
It was so early, in fact, that the Chrysanthemum show was still going on in the greenhouses at Vander Veer on the same day. This November event started in 1899 soon after the greenhouses were completed. A popular winter flower, the Tri-City Florists’ Association had held a Chrysanthemum show for several years until 1898 when they decided to end the tradition for financial reasons.
Due to the flower’s popularity and with the ability to grow them in their own greenhouses, the park board decided to start their own show the next year. One of the exciting features in those early years were the electric lights inside the new greenhouses that allowed for nighttime viewing of the flowers.
Fortunately, we have color slides from the Grover C. von der Heyde Collection to help us capture those long-ago moments in time. These images from 1949 – 1954 capture the beauty of past flower shows in the Vander Veer Park greenhouses along with scenic pictures taken throughout the seasons. To learn more about the history of the greenhouses and to see images from the von der Heyde Collection featuring the Poinsettia shows please click here.
We hope you enjoy these images from Chrysanthemum shows of Vander Veer Park’s past!
(posted by Amy D.)
