Queens and Queen Bees

At the tender age of 5 I participated in an annual ritual held in my East Millcreek neighborhood. All willing and probably a few unwilling 5-year old boys and girls were herded into the cultural hall of the church for a contest. My memory of the event is somewhat vague. I remember that I got to wear a pretty dress. I remember seeing a lot of my friends, and waving and laughing and getting to walk across the stage single file while someone played the piano, which made me feel very important. The only other memory I have of that night was being in a classroom with about 10 or 15 other kids and having some adults talking to us and asking us questions.

I don't remember that when I was asked to perform a talent I said,

"Oh, I just want to watch everybody else and clap for them!"

I don't remember that at the end of the night I was chosen to be

the Queen of the East Millcreek 4th of July Parade. 

And I don't remember that when my older sister,

who had participated in the contest 2 years earlier,

asked my parents, "How come Laurie gets to be the Queen and I didn't?"

that I was quick to answer, "Because I'm prettier!"

I do remember going to school afterwards and being treated like royalty by my teacher, Miss Nielson. One day someone came to my class and told me I needed to go with them to have my picture taken. The King and I and our 2 attendants were taken to a nearby park where we posed with a U.S. flag. The picture was in the paper the next day, and it was then that I knew I was famous.

The morning of the parade I had a beautiful new dress to wear, made by our next-door neighbor, Mrs. Pitts. It was a pale lavender dotted swiss organza confection, and I definitely felt special. We gathered in the parking lot of the church at the top of Evergreen Avenue. It was chaotic and wonderful. My most vivid memory is of the gorgeous beauty queens sitting on the backs of convertibles with their dresses draped around them, wearing diamond tiaras and carrying huge bouquets of roses. It was years later that I learned I was the Queen of this parade and they were only guests!


The fathers of our little royal party were the ones who made and pulled the float on which we rode. I wonder if they weren't just thrilled about that. And it's too bad I didn't know the "elbow-elbow-wrist-wrist-fingers-fingers-kiss-kiss" technique because I'm sure I would have stunned the masses with my poise if I had. It was fun to see people I knew who would wave to me, but I couldn't figure out why Miss Neilson was crying when we passed by. The parade ended at the park just below Evergreen Avenue and 23rd South, and that was just the beginning of all the other festivities of the day: a flag raising ceremony and pancake breakfast, picnicking and games, and more. If I had any duties after the parade I must have abdicated them because I remember spending the rest of the day running around in play clothes and playing in the creek. And so went my reign as Queen For A Day. 

Post Script - almost 3 weeks later we relived the revelry when we participated in the Days of 47 Parade. The crowd was huge and there seemed to be a LOT of attention coming my way, in particular from one of the older queens who I remembered from the 4th of July parade.

Six weeks before my 9th grade graduation from junior high our family moved from Taylorsville back to East Millcreek (we had left as I finished 1st grade). My new school, Evergreen Junior High, did not offer the business math class I had been taking. The only class they could figure out to put me in was a typing class. When I heard that the teacher was the football coach I inwardly rolled my eyes, but it didn't take long to realize that he was an excellent teacher. And that most of the football team was in the class, and that all the students took the class seriously.

Back in those olden days of 1968 typing was a required class and could only be taken in 9th grade, probably to help prepare us for all the extensive research papers we were going to be writing in Mr. Workman's class at Skyline High. However, my good friend Tonya had convinced the teacher at Valley Junior High that she and I were qualified to take the class as 8th graders. We took a test, passed it, and became her stars that year. So I wasn't intimidated by this class, just the number of big football players.

On Fridays we would take a speed test, and the first one I took I came in with a measly 110 wpm. The teacher had me do it again, and with corrections I was still just under 100 wpm. He was in awe. I felt a bit awkward. Each week I would win the Friday speed test, and it would be noted on a chart on the wall. The last week of school he made a special presentation - I had won the Queen Bee Award - and once again I was Queen For A Day! It was kind of a joke to me, but I did really like the golden bee pin he gave me.

I learned too late that there was a student who had worked all year to win that award, and she would have if I hadn't come along. She was the stereotypical wallflower....this would have been her big moment. I'm pretty sure that award would have meant a lot more to her than it did to me. I'm pretty sure I would have been happy to slow down a bit and let her enjoy the glory, had I only known.