In Case You Missed It, the Always Mysterious Scotch Broom Parade Swept Through Downtown Winslow Recently. Did You See It?

It’s a mystery. No one knows exactly when it will happen, or for that matter, what its exact origin really is, but one thing is for certain, the Scotch Broom Parade is a uniquely Bainbridge event, and takes place every year rain or shine.

This year’s spontaneous cavalcade occurred on Tuesday May 12 on Winslow Way. There was no plan per se, no permitting that we know of, just a fancy sports car and a shuttle van chugging down the island’s main drag in the middle of a partly cloudy afternoon, with a handful of folks following behind carrying a bunch of Scotch Broom branches in their hands.

The fun-filled procession has been staged for years by the Kiwanis Club of Bainbridge Island to the delight of islanders and visitors alike. How does it work? The club identifies a Queen to celebrate the special day, and she is driven in the parade’s lead car. The winner of this year’s odd and quirky event was Harper Graham. Bainbridge Lending Group’s Matt Culp had the honor of driving Ms. Graham, along with her mom, Erin, in a vintage 1965 Mustang.

As it turns out, Harper and her mom were in town buying cupcakes for her birthday the next day – May 13th. While walking down the street – with her mom at her side – she was randomly selected to be the Scotch Broom Queen. “We learned that she is the granddaughter of long-time island real estate agent Eddie Graham,” recounts Kiwanian Chris Miller, one of the organizers of the day, “and the great granddaughter of previous Scotch Broom Parade Queen Janet Lee (Quincy) McIlwain!”

“Harper,” Miller continues, “comes from a long line of Bainbridge Islanders on both sides of the family. Not only that, but (she) is named after that great grandmother using Janet as her middle name, and she shares the same Birthday!” Another ironic twist with the selection, is that Culp “was Erin’s past neighbor and one time loan rep for her home!”

Adding to the fun during the festivities, is a sometimes “heated” game of Tiddlywinks played between the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce’s current Board Chair, or its CEO, and a Kiwanis representative. As we were going to press, we finally got word that Chamber representative Lindsey Browning faced off against the Kiwanis Club’s Nathan Oestreich, in a match that appeared to be too close to call. Both sides, we later learned, declared victory and walked away, good-naturedly shaking a Scotch Broom branch at each other.

So how did all this zaniness get started? According to Kiwanis lore, in the early 1960s, when Bainbridge Island was barely a blip on the “tourism” radar screen, former Kiwanis member John Rudolph (now deceased) was contacted by someone putting together a Washington State Guide on festivals and fairs throughout the state.

Rudolph was working as a volunteer at the chamber at the time, and according to legend, and without missing a beat, he made something up – and he spontaneously called it the Scotch-Broom Festival, jokingly espousing a celebration around one of the most noxious weed species in Washington State. Of course, there was no such festival, and then there was.  …

Some months later, someone came to the island on the supposed “day of” the festival and asked around, wondering where and when it was.

Just as before, Rudolph didn’t miss a beat and within the hour he’d managed to gather a large group of participants, filling the streets of Downtown Winslow with weed-waving revelers.

The festival, for the most part, has been considered an “underground” event, since there’s little to no advance notice, but there’s always a fun crowd of island residents – and visitors- taking in the scene!

It happens each year around mid-to-late May, if you’d like to attend and/or participate next year, keep your ears and eyes open and get there on time, because it happens fast and it’s gone as quickly as it comes. To learn more about the Kiwanis Club visit: Kiwanis Club of Bainbridge Island – Kids Need Kiwanis.

Former Editor and Publisher of The Island Wanderer Margaret Millmore contributed to this report. Photos contributed by the Kiwanis Club.

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