Colorful roses burst from cardboard boxes as Coeur d'Alene Rotary Club members scurried to gather and transport bouquets Friday morning during a distribution event at the Hagadone Event Center.

"This is the 12th year in a row that we have broken the previous year's record," said outgoing Rotary Rose Sale Chair Lucinda Ade. "Last year, 1,463 dozen was the record, and I truly wondered whether we would even be able to approach that number."

After all the petals settled, Ade reported the 2022 total is 1,494 dozen roses, for a profit of nearly $57,000 that will go back into the community through various nonprofits, causes and projects.

Rotarians worked in a floral frenzy as they gathered the petaled prizes to share throughout the community for the 32nd Coeur d'Alene Rotary Rose Sale delivery day.

"Two of them are going to go to the Post Falls Senior Center, we like to bless them," said Post Falls Food Bank warehouse manager Jeff Eastwood. "We just pick certain families that could use them that we think may be struggling, it could just brighten up their day, and we hand them out to some of our guests."

He said the Post Falls Food Bank has received Rotary Rose Sale roses for several years.

"It truly is a blessing that they take care of us and we get to come here and do this," Eastwood said. "I had a big smile on my face helping unload the truck."

Children's Village CEO and Rotarian Vanessa Moos sold 28 dozen roses. She said some of those roses would be surprise gifts for her staff members.

"I feel pretty honored I'm part of Rotary now," she said. "This is the best day of the year. As a Rotarian for my first year, I'm pretty excited to bless others with this gift."

Rotarian and Rose Sale Committee member Mark Tucker, who helped oversee distribution, said it was exciting to see everyone's enthusiasm.

"It's seeing everybody come together, the excitement of putting things together, picking them up and it all happening at once," he said. "It's also exciting to see one-on-one when you're handing that bouquet of roses to whoever it might be, whether it's somebody you don't even know that's in hospice or somebody you've been married to for 27 years."

Incoming Rotary Rose Sale Chair Kim Edmondson said despite this year being a learning curve, the sale and distribution both went well.

"I'm just pleased we got everything accomplished," she said.

CELEBRATING LUCINDA ADE, QUEEN OF ROSES

This year's Rotary Rose Sale marks the end of a 26-year era with Ade at the helm. Ade bequeathed her cherished rosy bobble headband to Edmondson.

"Head gear when you are organizing the Rose Sale is most important," Ade said.

She also gifted a cowboy hat to encourage Edmondson and her can-do "cowboy up" ability to get things done.

"She lives by that creed, she truly does," Ade said of Edmondson. "She stepped up this year and she did not only half of the work, but she did a lot of my work as well. She did carry the heavy load and did it well."

Rotary President Candace Godwin then presented Ade with an engraved vase full of roses for her service as more than two decades as Rose Sale chair.

"She had all of this down to a fine science," Edmondson said. "She is responsible for like $1 million over those years."

"She really is the Coeur d'Alene Rotary Queen of Roses," Godwin said.