“Hargrove, there’s rainwater in the teacups!”
Shortly before Mr Hargrove passed he published a book on his life. The name of the book reflects an important event in his career. A prominent family living in Virginia was to throw a wedding for their daughter. Someone had suggested Mr. Hargrove,and he said of course he could do this. The day before the wedding he erected a tent which he subbed out to another company and decorated it with fabric and flowers. He also set all of the tables. The venue was ready. Early the next morning Mr. Hargrove received a call from the father of the bride yelling “Hargrove there’s rainwater in the teacups!” Sure enough it had rained the night before and there were a few holes in the tent. He dried every teacup and the wedding was hugely successful and it really helped to elevate him as a top class decorator despite the tent.
1948
Hargrove Displays is founded by the Hargrove father and son team
Mr Hargrove graduated from high school in June of 1946 and went directly into the marines where he served until 1948. Mr. Hargrove and his father Earl, Sr. founded Hargrove Displays and as Mr. Hargrove quoted, “That’s when the fun really started”.
1949
Truman Inaugural Parade
The first Inaugural that was awarded to Hargrove Displays was President Truman. On one particular day in 1949, President Elect Truman was taking a stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue, and walked past Mr. Hargrove’s father trimming a store window. President Elect Truman was so amazed by his work that he suggested that maybe he could create a parade float for his upcoming inaugural parade. Well, of course. This could be his big break and it was. Hargrove Displays has done floats for every Presidential Inaugural parade since.
1966
Mr. Hargrove purchases Shenandoah Caverns.
1996
Main Street of Yesteryear opened to the public.
The animated window scenes bring back memories of the 1940’s and 50’s, when department stores competed to see who could have the most spectacular street window to catch the eye of patrons. Cinderella graced the likes of Woodward and Lothrop in Washington DC, and is now attending “The Ball” in her window set at Main Street of Yesteryear. In the late 1980’s and early 90’s, Mr. Hargrove began refurbishing his window collections. He wanted to bring them back to their original glory and house them in a permanent attraction. He did just that, and Main Street of Yesteryear was born.
2000
American Celebration opens its doors to the public
Main Street of Yesteryear was the prelude for the American Celebration on Parade. Mr. Hargrove loved parades and was a master at designing and creating them. He wanted to share everything that Hargrove Displays created with the public, so he created a one of a kind attraction that now has about 90,000 visitors a year! Retired Military Veterans especially like to visit because of the sense of patriotism they feel here.
2015
Mr. Hargroves dies at the age of 86.
Upon Mr. Hargroves death, his daughter Kathy Kelly took the reins and is keeping the family legacy alive.
The Cinderella Carriage
Personal Story
The Cinderella Carriage
This float was built for Barbara Bush in her first inaugural parade as the First Lady. Her theme for her tenure was that each child should have the opportunity to learn how to read. We showed her a few drawings and this is the one she chose. I remember Dad had bought a piece of artwork by Lardo which was the Cinderella carriage pulled by horses. This still sits in the dining room of our family home.
Kathy
Personal Story
The American Flag
The Flag Float was built for President Reagan’s second Inaugural. It was Mr. Hargroves pride and joy. He built it to look like it was waving in the wind. Due to freezing conditions this parade was canceled which was the only one in history to be canceled. The President still wanted to greet all who were to participate so they used the float as a backdrop in a local arena. The Flag Float also appeared in Obama’s first Inaugural Parade and it was the last float that Mr. Hargrove at the age of 80 drove.
The American Flag
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The Train Float
The Train Float was first built for the 1994 Tournament of Roses Parade. Mr. Hargrove recovered this float in vivid colors of faux fur and it appeared in President Clinton’s Inaugural Parade in 1997. It was also used in the Thanksgiving day parade in Philadelphia
The Pelicans
The Pelican Float was used in President Clinton’s first Inaugural. It was originally built for the 1990 Tournament of Roses and Mr. Hargrove bought it and repurposed it. You can see the first draft of the remodel showing the pelicans playing instruments. Since President Clinton loved to play the saxophone, we made sure the lead pelican played his beloved instrument.
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The Blue Boot
The Blue Boot was built for President Bush’s float, as he was a Texan who wore boots. Mr. Hargrove never threw away a thing and was a master at reusing props, so we were called on by Anheuser-Busch to create a promotion for Bud Light. It was called “Paint the Town Blue”. Everything was blue, even the road. We are in the process of repairing the matching boot as it was originally used.