A Poem for La Fiesta de los Flores

John Steven McGroarty, The Times columnist and staff poet, offered this tribute to the annual La Fiesta de los Flores, which coincided with the national Shriners convention.

The fiesta featured four parades of vehicles decorated with electric lights. The Times described one of them as “the first presentation of the electrical Turkish and Moorish pageant. Magnificent floats, escorted by 15,000 Shriners, including the imperial officers, the Arab and Bedouin patrols.”

The main la Fiesta de los Flores parade on May 10, 1907, began at Main Street and 9th; proceeded north on Main to Temple; then west on Temple one block to Spring Street; then south on Spring to 9th Street; then another block west to Broadway; and north on Broadway to 1st Street.

The 35,000 Shriners and their guests who visited Los Angeles also inspired this poem:



More about McGroarty can be found on the 1947 Project website.

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