Rose Sunday ceremony ushers in spring blooming season, celebrates 92nd Texas Rose Festival
Published 9:52 pm Monday, May 19, 2025














Texas Rose Festival court members and supporters gathered with members of the public Sunday afternoon to stop and smell the roses. The community was celebrating Rose Sunday, a ceremony held every year as the official opening of the rose blooming season at the city’s famous Tyler Rose Garden.
Attendees gathered inside the Tyler Rose Garden Museum for the ceremony, which honors the industry that established the city as the Rose Capital of America.
To herald the new rose blooms of the season, May 18 was officially proclaimed by the City of Tyler as Rose Sunday in Tyler during the dedication service. Tyler Mayor Don Warren could not be present, so councilman James Wynne read the proclamation.
During the Sunday service, Texas Rose Festival court members, attendants and escorts, officers, past presidents and queens, board members and volunteers were recognized for their participation and contributions to the festival.
Texas Rose Festival President Michael C. Young said the festival’s mission is to promote the local rose industry, celebrate community volunteerism, instill community pride, and attract visitors to the community.
92nd Texas Rose Festival Queen Avery Craft Armstrong and Princess Mary-Michael Dial both expressed gratitude to God for allowing Tyler to have such beauty in its rose garden.
Both court members said they take great pride in the opportunity to represent the city throughout the year ahead of the October festival.
The Tyler Rose Garden is the largest of its kind in the nation. From late April until frost, the garden blooms with over 15,000 rose bushes exhibiting approximately 600 varieties of roses. The rose industry, which began at the turn of the century in Smith County, continues today with over one-third of the nation’s rose bushes processed, packaged and shipped from this area.
Over 100,000 people from around the globe visit the garden each year.
Also at the service, the 2025 Texas Rose Festival Scholarship recipient was announced as Kaylee Parson, who just graduated from Tyler High School. Parson is ranked No. 9 in her class and has a 4.0 grade point average. She plans to attend the University of Houston and major in nursing, as she comes from a legacy of nurses in her family. She aspires to be a nurse anesthetist.
Parson will be the first in her family of five to earn a college degree. The scholarship will be used as a stepping stone to achieve her goals, make a difference in her community, and carry forward a legacy of service and compassion, Young said.
The scholarship was established in 2009 and is awarded by the East Texas Communities Foundation to a Smith County graduating senior or current college student.
Rose Sunday was hosted by the family of Queen Armstrong, City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department, the Tyler Rose Museum and the Texas Rose Festival Association.
The 92nd annual festival, which includes the highly-anticipated Queen’s Coronation, Rose Parade and many other events, will be held Oct. 16-19. For a full schedule and more information, visit www.texasrosefestival.com.