Organizers of the Blossomtime Festival are thanking city leaders in St. Joseph and Benton Harbor for another successful Grand Floral Parade after it was held on Saturday.

Blossomtime President Anna Abdelnour addressed St. Joseph City Commissioners Monday and said it’s hard to believe the festival is in its 120th year. She noted the first Blossomtime parade held in St. Joe was in 1924.

“This year we started out with 109 units and it’s grown sufficiently since ‘24,” Abdelnour said. “We had 30 floats at that time and we had two marching bands. Today, we are proud to announce that we had over 1,500 parade participants marching down the road.”

Abdelnour also said it’s striking to realize that what started out as an agricultural festival so many years ago is now the kickoff of the summer season in Southwest Michigan.

Abdelnour thanked city leaders, including the departments of public safety in both St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, for helping make the parade possible each year. She also thanked city residents for welcoming all the parade participants, even opening their homes to the Blossomtime royalty in many cases.