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機車騎士及他的年青朋友正在享受杜鵑花節遊行，1996年
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佛羅倫斯(Florence)的杜鵑花節日
地方性遺產
您知道杜鵑花的長相嗎？它是一種大型的灌木類植物，長有大大地且為數眾多的花朵，花色為粉紅、紅、紫及白。
杜鵑花是石南屬開花植物的俗名，其約有850多種種類。它們原生於喜馬拉雅山脈、東南亞、馬來西亞山上及北半球海岸。在奧勒崗佛羅倫斯境內的這粉白色美麗植物於五月開始開花，到了六月，這個溫暖且明亮的色澤掩沒了週遭地區。
佛羅倫斯杜鵑花節日是用來慶祝春天的來臨。拓荒者們相信杜鵑花的花朵代表了夏季即將降臨，而寒冷、多雨的冬季就要結束了。這個始於1908年的節日因為運輸方式的改變也隨之發生變化。以前的人們會搭乘馬拉的驛馬車來參加此一盛會，但幾年後，由於新鐵路完工，人們於是改搭火車前來；到了1940年代，汽車普及後，大部分人就以此交通工具代步，出發來到佛羅倫斯。1960年後，汽車普及，因而該節日開始以拉風跑車秀來做為號召。另一個受歡迎的盛事是摩托車比賽。過去20年來，為觀看比賽及會見老朋友，機車騎士(摩托車騎士的通稱)自西海岸各區聚集佛羅倫斯。當然啦，他們也是為了一曙漂亮的杜鵑花。
Do you know what a rhododendron looks like? It is a big bush-like plant with large and numerous flowers in shades of pink, red, purple and white.
Rhododendron is the common name for a flowering plant of the heath family, which has more than 850 species. They are native to the Himalayas, southeastern Asia, the mountains of Malaysia and the coast of the Northern Hemisphere. In Florence, Oregon, the beautiful white-pink plant begins to bloom in May, and by June the surrounding area is covered with its warm, radiant colors.
The Florence Rhododendron Festival celebrates the arrival of spring. The pioneers believed that the bloom of the rhododendrons meant that summer was around the corner and the cold and rain of winter would soon end. The festival was first held in 1908. Because modes of transportation have changed since then, the festival has changed too. To get to the festival back then many people took stagecoaches pulled by horses; a few years later, they arrived by train on the new railroad. By the 1940s automobiles were common, and that's how most people got to Florence. By 1960, automobiles were so popular that the festival began to feature a show for fancy sports cars. Another popular event was the motorcycle races. For the past 20 years, "bikers" (the casual name for motorcycle riders) have come to Florence from all over the West Coast to watch the races and see old friends. And, of course, they come to enjoy the beautiful rhododendrons.
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關於地方性遺產
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