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Expense limits pear fest blooms Each year as I attend the Pear Blossom parade I wonder why there is not one flower in the parade! If we can't provide real blossoms for the Royal Court, why not silk flowers? Seems like flowers would add a lot to our famous parade. -- Kathy E., Medford Well Kathy, you might as well ask "Where have all the flowers gone?" Are you saying we're drifting away from our agricultural roots? The easy answer to your question is that it's not often that our valley's pear trees are blooming to coincide with the parade that takes place the second Saturday in April, rain or shine. Mother Nature's blooming schedule is out of the control of the festival organizers. Pear Blossom Festival board member Helen Moore says that pear branches will adorn some of the VIP cars in the parade. The royal court will carry bouquets of roses and carnations. "We have the actual fruit as our theme," added Moore. "It's on our logo." But as to why the Rogue Valley doesn't do a proper Pear Blossom Parade with floral floats along the lines of Portland's Rose Festival Parade, the answer is probably the time and money it takes to adorn the floats with flowers, whether real or not. "We're not big enough," said Moore. "People don't put that kind of work into the floats. It's expensive." (Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: [email protected] . Please include your name, address and phone number for verification.) Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA