Downtown Winslow saw the return of the much-loved Scotch Broom Festival Tuesday, May 15, amidst much laughter and the craning necks of uninformed passersby.

The “impromptu” yearly Bainbridge tradition was greeted by horn honks, cheers and, yes, some confusion from passers by and those out enjoying the sunny downtown sidewalks and Madrone Lane.

Following the traditional tiddlywinks match outside Town & Country Market, longtime islander Laurie Gallagher Maltman was crowned as the 2018 Scotch broom queen.

The parade then took off from the market parking lot, moving at an appropriately regal pace, with plant-waving revelers in tow, in the direction of Madison Avenue.

The festival is a quirky island tradition dating back to 1965, when Kiwanis member John Rudolph began the event as a joke.

(Luciano Marano | Bainbridge Island Review)