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 A History of Hartford - 153 pg transcript now available on-line!
   
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 Hartford Michigan Blossomtime Floats
Through The Years


 First Blossomtime Float - 1926
Hartford, Michigan

1926 Hartford Float
 

The Hartford Day Spring - May 19, 1926

....profusely decorated with peach and apple blossoms and ripened fruit, it was christened From Blossoms to Fruit and was illustrative of nature's promise of the fruit yield that follows the springtime riot of delicately tinted blossoms.  The centerpiece of the Hartford float was an apple tree, one side of which was covered with blossoms and the other side with fruit.
     Charles Hammond contributed the apples with which the name
Hartford was spelled out on each side of the float, and the apples were also used on the corner posts and throughout the decorative scheme.  The float was given further local significance by the free use of wreaths & foliage from the Hartford Leaf Factory of the Kirchen & Gifford Company.
    
Mrs. M.A. Engle directed the construction and decoration of the float and was assisted by Mrs. Louise Miller and Elizabeth Hickey.  Lee Gifford drove the float at the pageant.

Contributed by Maurice and Delores Miller
 Larry and Lois Blyly - August, 2002 

 
 

Blossomtime Float - 1958


1958 Hartford Float
Miss Hartford 1958 - Joyce Hamill
On the float (L-R)
Delores Brown, Bobbi Hitchcock,
Pat Bachman, Joanne Smith

Photo provided by Patricia Bachman Empson HHS 1959


 

Blossomtime Float - 1977

1977 Hartford Blossomtime Float-2nd Pl Sweepstakes

1977 Hartford Blossomtime Float-2nd Pl Sweepstakes

1977 Hartford float - Herald Palladium photo

Miss Hartford 1977 - Tammy Hannon

Float Theme was Simple Simon

Photos provided by Sandy Briggs and Jean Estes Burlingham 7/1/2006.
 

 

Blossomtime Float 1980

Miss Hartford 1980 - Juliana Markillie

Court
Anita Carmichael - 1st Runner-up
Patricia Obermesik - 2nd Runner-up
Karen Collins - Miss Congeniality

Float theme was "
The Muppets"

Sponsored and built by the Hartford Fire Department. Car is a 1950-51 Studebaker.

  Photo provided by Harold Walker via Larry Blyly - 2007

 

Blossomtime Float - 2001

Miss Hartford 2001 - Emily Newnum
On the float (L-R)
Tiffany Perry, Miss Congeniality
Jenifer Nyhuis - 1st Runner Up
Janell Birmele - 2nd Runner Up
 

   Photo provided by Janell Birmele - June 2007

 

Blossomtime Float - 2003

2003 Hartford Blossomtime Float

Miss Hartford 2003 - Julie Leibenthal

Rebecca Rae Paxson
Lauren Elizabeth Khan
Ashley LeAnn Olsen - Miss Congeniality

Citizen of the Year - Ed Leibenthal

    Photo provided by Emma Thornburg Sefcik HHS 1966

 

Blossomtime Float - 2004
Queen's Award

2004 Hartford Float
Miss Hartford 2001 - Larissa Friday

 Photo provided by Maurice (HHS 1947) and Delores Miller

 

Blossomtime Float - 2006

2006 Hartford Float
Miss Hartford 2006 - Emily Foster

L-R
Eloy Hernandez, 2nd Runner-up to Mr. Hartford, Craig Baham, Mr Hartford,
Emily Foster, Miss Hartford & 1st Runner-up to Miss Blossomtime,
Wayne Baskin, 1st Runner-up to Mr. Hartford

2006 Strawberry Princess - Jaelyne Galvan
2006 Strawberry Prince - Trey Ackerman
2006 Sweetest Strawberry Baby - Rylee Ackerman

2005 Adriana Davila Strawberry Princess (shown on float)
2005 Andrew Brown Strawberry Prince (was on float)

Photo provided by Ray Sebroth HHS 1941.

 

Hartford Community Float - 2007




Miss Hartford Blossomtime 2007

Lindsey Sells
First Runner-up - Rebecca Saldana
Second Runner-up - Amanda Tate

Miss Congeniality - Amanda Tate

Mr. Hartford
Blossomtime 2007
David Short

Pete Koshar - 1st Runner-up
Joey Najacht - 2nd Runner-up
David Short - Mr. Nice Guy
 


Miss Hartford Scholarship 2007

Veronica Rodriguez
First Runner-up - Megan Layer
Second Runner-up - Katie Jonatzke

Miss Congeniality - Nicole Jobe

Mr. Hartford Scholarship 2007
Joey Najacht

Thomas Newnum - 1st Runner-up
Taylor Sawyer - 2nd Runner-up, Mr. Nice Guy
 

Strawberry Princess 2007                            Strawberry Prince 2007
   Destiny Chacon                                          Blair McMeeken

Sweetest Strawberry Baby
Sophia Tarantino
 

 

Have a nice photo of a Hartford float? 
Color preferred, but will take black & white.  Email the webmaster.


 


Information for this web site was gathered from personal interviews, newspaper articles, scrapbooks, personal photo albums, and other documented materials - many available to the public at the Hartford Public Library or Van Buren County Historical Museum.  Please report any typographical errors, updated information, or incorrectly stated information to the webmaster for correction.  Reprinting for personal and instructional purposes is permitted, however, unauthorized commercial reprinting of this information or unauthorized linking to photos-pictures on this site is strictly prohibited without written permission from the webmaster. 



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HartfordHistory Icon - Hartford MI

Pearls In Our Past - Hartford Michigan
© 
A Pictorial History of Hartford, Michigan
Emma Thornburg Sefcik,
Competent Secretarial Service
Copyright © 2000 - All rights reserved.


Revised: May 11, 2008