It all began in 1933, many years before even my birth:)  The Tyler Garden Club and Chamber of Commerce wanted to highlight the beautiful roses that grew so prolifically around this central Texas city of cows, cowboys, and oil wells.  The oil wells had a great deal to do with the elaborately gowned and presented debutantes of local well-known families.  The Festival has morphed into a matinee that rivals the most spectacular Las Vegas show.  This year’s theme was “Rock & Roll”, the history and the music.  Each gown was designed to depict a particular artist or song from the era of Rock & Roll.  The gowns were all designed by a New York fashion designer who spends the entire year creating these amazing costumes.  They cost the families more than any wedding dress I’ve ever heard of, but the moms and dads proudly fund this for their debutantes each year.  My personal favorite was “Michael Jackson”, which you see above in an elegant black sequined costume which allowed her to perform the moonwalk.  In the end, it’s all about the queen, this year covered in rose red jewels and attended by two adoring “ladies in waiting”.

The city’s garden of roses was a joy to behold.  There were acres of every hue and species from miniature to gargantuan.  A rainy cold front had passed through in the night, so many beautiful buds had been beaten down, but there were still plenty of favorites to capture on film.  The garden center also had a showcase of gowns through the years, from 1933 to 2017.  Some of my favorites were the “Patriotic American” theme, and “New Orleans Jazz” because I love purple.  After viewing the roses, there is a parade of local bands and floats covered in roses and debutantes.  It’s probably a God-send that the weather was overcast and chilly.  I can’t imagine otherwise how the floats covered in live roses would survive the Texas heat.

The grand finale was a “Queen’s Tea” in the center of the garden, complete with blue skies and sunshine, finally.  Laurel, Martha and I were lucky enough to get “up close and personal” with some of our favorite debutantes.  The girls were all so sweet, and willing to pose tirelessly for pictures, when they weren’t entertaining the young “debutantes to be”.  Martha and Mac hosted Laurel and I, the Diamond Beach Divas, for the entire four-day weekend.  While Mac did opt out on some of the “ladies events”, when the weather cleared for a good game of golf; he was a wonderful host and breakfast chef extraordinaire.  Laurel and I are looking forward to returning the favor, maybe for the Galveston Mardi Gras?