Frances Flanagan is the 2014 grand marshal. The 98-year-old was chosen in honor of the 90th anniversary of the Apple Blossom..

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Apple Blossom royalty enjoy the beautiful weather for the 2014 parade — a far cry from that the previous year .

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St. Joseph Councilwoman Donna Jean Boyer captures some memory moments on her camera.

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A member of the Missouri Air National Guard hands out Tootsie Rolls to young spectators.

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The Savannah Savage Marching Band strike up a tune as they travel south on Noyes Boulevard. The band captured first place again this year.

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A young parade participant prepares to fling a fistful of candy to the crowd lining the street..

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International students from Missouri Western State University pose before hopping onto the school's float.

Members of the All-City Marching Band begin their trek down Frederick Avenue.

Welcome to the official website of the 2015 Apple Blossom Festival. This site will provide you everything you need to connect to the Apple Blossom pageant and parade.

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IMPORTANT: The deadine for pageant entries has been extended to March 6. Don't delay! Enter today.

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Pageant forms are available by clicking the Pageant details/entry forms link, and parade entry forms are available by clicking on Parade details/entry form link, both located in the upper right.

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Parade theme
We're pretty excited about our 2015 theme, "St. Joseph: Our Future Is Bright." It sets the right tone for our parade, our people, and our community.

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Parade Time and Route
Take a look at the expanded information and guidelines on the parade. Just click on Parade details/entry form in the upper right of this page.

The 2015 Apple Blossom will roll out from Noyes Boulevard and Frederick Avenue beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 2. The route runs west on Frederick to 9th Street, then south one block to Felix Street, and finally west to 5th Street.

Staging for the parade: All units form up on Northeast Parkway. To enter the staging area, drive to North Ashland Avenue, at the intersection of Summit Avenue and Northeast Parkway. From there units drive down Northeast Parkway and begin staging, or forming up. The units turn at Corby Pond and come up Northwest Parkway to Ashland and Noyes, then on to Frederick. There is no through traffic around Corby Pond, which is blocked to traffic at both Corby Parkway and 22nd Street on the west.

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Looking back
The 2014 Apple Blossom Parade is history. It was a beautiful day for a parade, and both participants and spectators took full advantage of being involved with St. Joseph's annual rite of spring.

Here were the best floats in the 2014 parade:
1st place -- St. Joseph Figure Skating
2nd place -- Friedel's Lawn & Landscaping
3rd place -- Allison's School of Dance

This long shot looks north on Noyes Boulevard as units prepare to move up in the staging area.

Thanks to all who participated, either with an entry or as a spectator. As usual, the City of St. Joseph was outstanding in its support of the parade — particularly police officers and public works employees. St. Joseph area media did their usual sterling job. We couldn't have done it without all of you.

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2014 Parade Photos
Photos of the 2014 parade -- including those on this page -- have been posted. Use the 2014 and earlier parade pix link at upper right to take you to a slideshow. If you find images you'd like to download and print, just click on the "View all" button below the slideshow.

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The Apple Blossom is St. Joseph's most popular parade. How do we know?

Well, you picked the Apple Blossom as best parade/festival in 2014 Readers' Choice voting, sponsored by the St. Joseph News-Press. In fact, we've won that award 15 years in a row, earning us the Diamond Award several years ago.

Bottom line, this is your award. You're the ones who make the parade what it is — St. Joseph's own rite of spring. We just come along for the ride. The Apple Blossom staff and volunteers are proud to continue to serve you, the citizens of Greater St. Joseph, and to do all we can to keep this St. Joseph's best and your favorite parade.

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Contact us if you are interested in serving on the Apple Blossom Committee or if you have questions not answered on the site. The Apple Blossom phone number is 816.261.0422. Please leave a message. Another option is to email Executive Director Michelle Wolfe or Apple Blossom President Ken Rosenauer by clicking the links at the bottom of this page..

Click on links at the right for pages covering both the pageants and parade, entry forms for both, and photos and information about previous Apple Blossom festivals.

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Special thanks to these local businesses that help make the Apple Blossom better: