5/25/2006: Shrimp and Petroleum Queen

[Cloud]

Lincoln, the Vatican, and Fellini?

whoa. head rush!

[Imigo Jones]

Originally Posted by Cloud

Lincoln, the Vatican, and Fellini?

Don’t forget the queens, Cloud! Going back to Louisiana:

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Left: Miss Andouille [sausage] XII [2006]
Ashley Kristine Wilking
Right: 2007 Miss Queen of Hearts [of the River Parishes Fall Festival]
Ashley Kristine Wilking

Hey, I thought she was from Georgia--Scarlett’s friend.

More importantly, what up with her batwings? A lot of the Louisiana queens wear ’em. I’m guessing it’s a regal mantle bestowed only upon the winner at the big moment, along with the tiara, sash, and bouquet. Personally, I prefer Miss BHF’s bare-shoulder look.

Still, there’s certainly something to be said for the batwing style. Further research shows that in a few short years in the early 1930s, in male scholarship competitions, the regal pageant mantle underwent a radical transformation from modest proportions to the exaggerated dimensions that persist today:

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Left: Seward Sanitarium Blood Drive Festival King 1931
Bill “Count” Dracula
Right: Mr. Late-Moving Sinker 1934
Chien-ming “the Merciless” Wang

Bonus section: An SSBDF King gallery



1, 2, 3: High-collared mantle, but modest by later standards
2: Lincolnesque winner's crown
4. Joy at hearing Abraham Van Helsing named first runner-up

Highlights of the winner's performance, a dramatic reading, in the talent portion of the competition