The Texas Rose Festival is an annual three-day celebration held in mid-October at the peak of Tyler’s rose season as a means to recognize and remember the importance of the rose growing industry in Tyler’s history. The Texas Rose Festival draws thousands of tourists to Tyler each year and has become an economic boost to the city. Yet as a resident of Tyler, it took me 5 years to investigate any part of the festivities myself. A friend convinced me my darling daughters would love to take part in the Queen’s Tea, dubbed “Tea with the Queen.”

On Thursday, the Texas Rose Festival kicks of with the Queen’s Tea, a massive garden party open to the community, hosted on the Tyler Rose Garden grounds. Visitors are allowed to meet the crowned Rose Queen and the members of her court arrayed in spectacularly lavish royal dresses. Every would-be-princess’s eyes will pop as they enjoy tea and cookies while gazing at the glitter and glory of the bedazzled royalty. They’ll definitely want to pose with a glittering princess, so don’t forget your camera!

Any down side to the Queen’s Tea? My 5 year old was deeply disappointed that she was not actually allowed to sit at an elaborately prepared table and sip tea from delicate floral china, sharing pleasantries with the Queen herself. I quickly decided to skip the long line waiting for a photo op with her majesty and instead maneuver my young princesses toward a lesser royalty clad in an alluring pink dress with gold sparkles (and only three people in line) hoping that would suffice for a scrapbook memory. All was well until the questions forced me into a political tight spot: Are they real princesses?” No. “How do they get to be princesses?” Hmm…“Can I do that someday?” No. Daddy doesn’t make enough money to buy the sequins on the queen’s dress. And the Rose festival is all about money.

You see, it is a well known fact that the Rose Queen can never be a Cinderella. Regular peasant girls need not apply. She is chosen on the basis of financial donations from her family. Even physical attractiveness takes a back seat to the cash. So unless you have already dumped truckloads of money into the city’s pockets and have paid your dues wining and dining the selection committee while your little girl was growing up, she will have no hope competing against the daughters of East Texas royal families like Jack King’s, even if she is twice as congenial and three times as pretty!

Kids on the young side might be overwhelmed or in danger of getting lost in the crowds of the event, so you might want to leave them at home. Unless Junior is old enough to be interested in girls, he would probably want to avoid an ultra girly event like the Queen’s Tea unless the allure of cookies is strong enough. If pressed too long, he may decide to entertain himself in one of the reflection pools to escape all of the pink commotion.

Friday is the exclusive theatrical Coronation of the Rose Queen at the Cowan Center. Tickets are $20-$30 for the matinee, and $45-$60 for the evening extravaganza. (Sorry girls, but the Tea is free.) Other Friday events which require tickets are The Ladies Brunch (tickets sell out way in advance) and the Men’s Lunch ($40).

If Friday night’s excitement is too heavy on the pocketbook, relax, the parade is free. You will have to deal with crowds and traffic, though. The parade begins at Glenwood and Front St. or for a bird’s eye-view and play-by-play commentary, pick up a ticket ($7-10) for a seat in the Trinity Mother Frances Stadium, 700 Fair Park Dr. The Texas Rose Festival Parade winds down the festivities with rose-adorned floats bearing the new royalty, bands, drill teams, Shriners, and the typical parade fare.

Texas Rose Festival Tickets are available at www.texasrosefestival.com.