81st Annual Rose Festival Kicks Off

TYLER — The countdown to the 81st annual Texas Rose Festival is officially underway following the festival’s kickoff over the weekend at Willow Brook Country Club. Rose Queen Katie Peltier says the festival has always meant a lot to her. She told KTBB, “I’ve watched it growing up here in Tyler all of my life, so it’s just great to be a part of such a wonderful community experience, and I’m just honored to represent the city of Tyler and the Tyler roses.” Kathleen Bertram is this year’s Duchess of the Texas Rose Festival. She chimed in, “I think this event is very important to Tyler, and I think we all should remember that the true star of the festival is the rose.”

Along with beginning the countdown to the festival, the kickoff served to welcome out-of-town guests who are a part of the festival; to celebrate the end of summer practice for the queen’s court; to announce general public ticket sales begin Sept. 2; to thank the festival volunteers, along with the kickoff committee and hosts; and to present and sell the 2014 commemorative items. The festival is October 16-19. Go to http://www.texasrosefestival.com for more information.