The Summerland Royalty Float was on display at a parade in August, 1949, with “King” George Henry and “Queen” Joan Bennett.
The Bennett family began cultivating gladiola bulbs in 1925 in Paradise Flats (Lower Summerland, near Trout Creek.)
Their annual display drew many out-of-town visitors.
Bennett specialized in hybridizing bulbs and had 25 registered varieties of gladiola. Carloads of bulbs were shipped every year to nurseries across the country.