The Long Way
Lane County
An aerial view of an outdoor carnival with rides and tents near the water.
Plate I. Carnival rides, Rhododendron Festival. From siuslawpioneermuseum.com
People ride horses down a street during an event.
Plate II. Grand Floral Parade, Rhododendron Festival. From florencechamber.com
An aerial view of a carnival set up near a waterfront with docked boats.
Plate III. Carnival rides, Rhododendron Festival. From florencechamber.com
A close-up of blooming pink rhododendron flowers on a bush.
Plate IV. Rhododendron blooms, Rhododendron Festival. From siuslawpioneermuseum.com
A cluster of pink flowers in front of a metal fence at an outdoor event.
Plate V. Pink rhododendrons at the Rhododendron Festival. From kval.com

Rhododendron Festival (Rhody Days)

Florence, Lane County, Oregon. Floral festival; May.

Details

Map. Florence, Lane County, Oregon. Larger map
Where
Florence Events Center, 715 Quince St., Florence, OR 97439. Directions
When
Third Weekend in May.
Getting there
Carnival rides and games in Historic Old Town, beginning Thursday of Rhody Week.
Fees
Discounted carnival passes until Thursday May 14; save $5 buying early.
Walk-in or reserve
Carnival passes purchased online in advance.
Phone
541-997-3128
Website
rhodydays.net
Managed by
Florence Area Chamber of Commerce.
Established
1908.

Florence's biggest celebration and one of Oregon's longest-running floral festivals, held throughout Florence.

Notable Events

  1. 1906Mayor Dr. George Edward proposed an event to promote then-isolated Florence and bring folks from afar. siuslawpioneermuseum.com
  2. 1908Florence held its first Rhododendron Festival on May 20, 1908; Joaquin Miller, world-famed "Poet of the Sierras," was invited to be the Grand Marshal and crown the Rhododendron Queen. ir.library.oregonstate.edu
  3. 1908Decorated boats paraded on the Siuslaw River with the coronation of a Queen Rhododendra taking place on a barge. siuslawpioneermuseum.com
  4. 1909Flossie Chapman became festival queen by winning a baked-goods competition. kval.com
  5. 1957Jo Lece Reavis won the festival tiara and cape in a year when contestants were required to give speeches and sell buttons; hers is one of only three tiaras ever used for all the queens in Rhody history. kval.com
  6. 1971The Rhododendron Flower Show, currently held during Florence's Rhododendron Festival, originated in 1971 and was held in the Siuslaw Valley Bank. siuslawars.org

People

  • Del Phelps, Siuslaw Pioneer Museum representative explaining the festival's early history.
  • Flossie Chapman, Festival queen, winning by making baked goods (1909).
  • Jo Lece Reavis, Festival queen who won the tiara and cape after contestants gave speeches and sold buttons (1957).
  • George P. Edwards, mayor who presented the festival queen keys of the city made of rhodo wood (died 1944).
  • Joaquin Miller, poet of the Sierras who crowned the first Queen Rhododendra and, as her prime minister, delivered a 1600 word address largely on the history of the rhododendron (1908).
  • Laura Johnson, first Queen Rhododendra, crowned at the first Rhododendron Festival (1908).
  • Dr. George Edward, Mayor who conceived the festival as a way to promote Florence (1906).

Sources

  1. siuslawpioneermuseum.com/rhododendron-festival-2
  2. florencechamber.com/events/annual-events-festivals
  3. assets.simpleviewinc.com/simpleview/image/upload/v1/clients/florenceor/2026_Rhody_Days_Program_4_8_1pm_adce34b0-630c-48c7-a0b7-f50ba1432b7f.pdf
  4. florencechamber.com/rhododendron-festival
  5. facebook.com/RhododendronFestival
  6. florencechamber.com/rhododendron-festival
  7. rhododendroncourt.com/about-us
  8. ir.library.oregonstate.edu/downloads/dn39x165z
  9. kval.com/news/local/rhododendron-festival-history
  10. siuslawars.org/history.html