SUMNER, Wash. - Not since World War II has Pierce County's annual Daffodil Festival been canceled. But organizers fear the festival could wither away next year.

Past sponsors have dropped out, donations are down and organizers say it's very questionable whether enough money can be raised to stage another festival.

Brad Stevens of the Daffodil Festival's float crew says the festival and parade have been a Pierce County staple for 77 years.

"It touches everybody in the county and beyond," he says.

Puyallup Valley bulb farmers sponsored the first Daffodil Parade to promote their thriving crop. Over the years, the parade blossomed into a spring festival of floats in Orting, Tacoma, Puyallup, and Sumner - becoming a fixture for families.

But now the annual celebration is in peril.

"To lose it after 77 years would be sad," Stevens says. "Right now, the bottom line is we have $5,000 sitting in our checking account. ... We need $225,000 to put the thing together."

Not since World War II has the festival been canceled.

But Stevens says, "Next year, instead of all the floats and pretty girls and the bands, there will be people looking at nothing. It'll be an empty street."

The festival isn't just about flowers and crowning the royal court. It's also about education - this year, 23 princesses from Pierce County high schools received $55,000 in scholarships for college.

Volunteer Susan McGuire says the festival needs sponsorships and donations to keep the community tradition alive.

"If it goes away this year, we probably won't be back for next year," she says.

So for now, the festival's future needs green dollars, not just green thumbs, to survive.

To see how you can help, visit www.daffodilfestival.net.