Azalea Trail Maids

The 2007 Azalea Trail Court, on the campus of Spring Hill College.

The Azalea Trail Maids are a group of fifty high school seniors chosen yearly to serve as "Official Ambassadors" for the city of Mobile, Alabama. The Maids, wearing dresses meant to evoke Southern charm and hospitality, make appearances at many local, state, and national events.[1] They often serve as greeters when foreigners and dignitaries visit the city, and are required to be knowledgeable about the city landmarks and history. In addition, they must have a good grade point average to be accepted and have great interview skills. The Maids are selected through a dual interview process, interviewing at the school and county level. Hundreds of girls initially try out, but only fifty become Azalea Trail Maids. The Maids are meant to embody the ideals of "Southern hospitality", and appeared at the inauguration of United States President Barack Obama.[2][3]

History

The group gained its name from Mobile's Azalea Trail, a garden trail within the city. The trail traces its beginnings to an effort by the Mobile Junior Chamber of Commerce during the 1920s that saw the planting of azaleas along the city's streets. Following the establishment of the trail, dignitaries were invited to officially open the trail each spring, with local debutantes serving as event hostesses. This arrangement changed in 1949, with the establishment of the first Azalea Trail Court. The court featured two senior girls sent from each of the four local high schools.[4]

The Azalea Trail Festival was established in 1951, with additional girls from neighboring Jaycees organizations invited to serve on the court. During this period the reigning Miss America served on the court as the Queen of the Azalea Trail. The event became so popular that, by the mid-1950s, each Jaycee chapter in Alabama, and a few from other states, had a representative at the festival. It was decided to limit the size of the court to fifty senior girls from Mobile County high schools. The court has remained in this arrangement since that time. A new program was started for the out-of-town girls, leading directly to the establishment of America's Junior Miss.[4]

Inaugural controversy

Controversy erupted in January 2009, after the group was invited by the inauguration committee of Barack Obama to represent Alabama in the inaugural parade. The president of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, Edward Vaughn, made the statements that another group should represent Alabama in the parade to better reflect the history of the state, that the antebellum-style costumes that the Maids wear are a reminder of the slave era, and that the group would be a “laughingstock.” Advocates of the Maids defended the organization, citing that the dresses are also meant to represent azalea blossoms and that the group is racially diverse.[3][5] Following Vaughn's comments Sam Jones, the first African American mayor of Mobile, issued a written statement:

The Azalea Trail girls represent the beauty of Mobile. After all, we are the Azalea city. We are extremely proud of their participation in President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration and can think of no better group that represents the character and diversity of our city to showcase at this historic event. As it relates to diversity, we would compare Mobile with any city in the state of Alabama. We are a diverse city representing people from all segments and walks of life. These girls epitomize that, and they are excellent ambassadors for Mobile.[6]

Alvin Holmes, Alabama's longest-serving African American state legislator, commented that:

I think it would be better for the image of the state of Alabama to have another group participate also. We have some top high school bands around the state of Alabama. But the fact that the Trail Maids are integrated, makes it okay to me. They didn't have anything to do with slavery.[7]

The Mobile County Commission gave US$10,000 to help fund the Maids' trips to the inauguration.[8] Vaughn later apologized for calling the group a laughingstock, but continued to express his view that an additional group from Alabama representing the civil rights movement should march with the Maids for the inauguration of the first African American president of the United States.[5] A segment concerning the controversy was filmed for NBC's Today show, but never aired because of other news coverage. The Maids participated in the parade on January 20, 2009.[3]

References

  1. ^ Reeves, Wendy (October 14, 2009). "Madison Belles re-create aura of Old South". Mobile Press Register. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  2. ^ Starling, Bill (January 16, 2009). "Trail Maids are proud ambassadors for Mobile, state". Mobile Press Register. pp. 2C. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c Reilly, Sean (January 22, 2009). "Mobile's Azalea Trail Maids had fun during inaugural trip to D.C." Mobile Press Register. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Azalea Trail Maids. "History". Archived from the original on January 10, 2010. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  5. ^ a b Dominello, Amy (January 20, 2009). "Mobile group prepares for inaugural parade". Media General. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  6. ^ Burch, Jamie (January 9, 2009). "Mayor Responds to the Trail Maids Controversy". WKRG-TV. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  7. ^ Klass, Kym (January 8, 2009). "On parade: The Old South". Montgomery Advertiser.
  8. ^ Pickett, Rhonda (January 13, 2009). "Mobile County Commission gives $10,000 to Azalea Trail Maids for trip to inaugural". Mobile Press Register. Retrieved March 20, 2010.

Read other articles:

British peer and Conservative politician His GraceThe Duke of LeedsJPTreasurer of the HouseholdIn office1895–1896Preceded byArthur George BrandSucceeded byThe Viscount CurzonMember of Parliament for BrixtonIn office1887–1895Preceded byErnest BaggallaySucceeded byEvelyn Hubbard Personal detailsBornGeorge Godolphin Osborne(1862-09-18)18 September 1862Died10 May 1927(1927-05-10) (aged 64)Spouse Lady Katherine Frances Lambton ​ ​(after 1884)​Parent(s)Ge...

 

1972 live album by John Lee HookerLive at Soledad PrisonLive album by John Lee HookerReleased1972 (1972)RecordedJune 11, 1972VenueSoledad Prison, CaliforniaGenreBluesLength39:30LabelABCProducerEd MichelJohn Lee Hooker chronology Never Get Out of These Blues Alive(1972) Live at Soledad Prison(1972) Born in Mississippi, Raised Up in Tennessee(1973) Live at Soledad Prison is a live album by blues musician John Lee Hooker recorded at the Soledad State Prison in Monterey County, Calif...

 

Plaza Manuel Belgrano y el Monumento al General Belgrano. Plaza Manuel Belgrano. Al fondo la iglesia de la Parroquia Inmaculada Concepción. Plaza Manuel Belgrano, entrada por la esquina de las calles Vuelta de Obligado y Echeverría. Plaza Manuel Belgrano conocida popularmente como Plaza Juramento se encuentra ubicada en el barrio de Belgrano de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Específicamente entre las calles Vuelta de Obligado, Juramento, Cuba y Echeverría. Toponimia Recibe su nombr...

Museu de Engenharia Civil do Instituto Superior Técnico Tipo Museu universitário, museu de ciência Inauguração 20 de dezembro de 1993 (29 anos) Website http://museudec.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/ Geografia País  Portugal Cidade Lisboa Localidade Pavilhão de Engenharia Civil, Instituto Superior Técnico O Museu de Engenharia Civil do Instituto Superior Técnico é um museu localizado no Instituto Superior Técnico dedicado às áreas do Urbanismo, Transportes, Estruturas, Constru...

 

President of Haiti from 1957 to 1971 Papa Doc redirects here. For the Colombian drug trafficker, see Evaristo Porras Ardila. François DuvalierDuvalier in 196834th President of HaitiIn office22 October 1957 – 21 April 1971Preceded byAntonio Thrasybule Kébreau as Chairman of the Military CouncilSucceeded byJean-Claude DuvalierMinister of Public Health and LaborIn office14 October 1949 – 10 May 1950PresidentDumarsais EstiméPreceded byAntonio Vieux (Public Health...

 

Legislative Assembly constituency in Nagaland State, India SanisConstituency for the Nagaland Legislative AssemblyConstituency detailsCountryIndiaRegionNortheast IndiaStateNagalandDistrictWokha DistrictLS constituencyNagalandTotal electors24,051[1]ReservationSTMember of Legislative Assembly14th Nagaland Legislative AssemblyIncumbent Mhathung Yanthan PartyNationalist Democratic Progressive Party Sanis Assembly constituency is one of the 60 Legislative Assembly constituencies of Nagalan...

Museum in Sibu, Sawarak, Malaysia Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial MuseumMuzium Memorial Hospital Lau King HoweEstablished3 August 1996LocationSibu, Sarawak, MalaysiaCoordinates2°17′28.3″N 111°49′18.4″E / 2.291194°N 111.821778°E / 2.291194; 111.821778Typemedical museumWebsiteOfficial website The Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum (Malay: Muzium Memorial Hospital Lau King Howe) (Chinese : 劉欽侯醫院紀念館) is a medical museum in Sibu, Sarawak...

 

Italian composer Banda OsirisBackground informationOriginItaly, Region of PiemonteYears active1980–currentlyMembers– Gianluigi Carlone: voice, flute, soprano sax– Roberto Carlone: bass, keyboard, trombone– Giancarlo Macrì: percussion, tuba– Sandro Berti: guitar, mandolin, trombonePast membersGianluigi CarloneRoberto CarloneGiancarlo MacrìMario Sgotto Banda Osiris are an Italian ensemble of musicians, actors and composers. Career The group formed in 1980, in Vercelli.[1] Th...

 

Las referencias de este artículo no tienen un formato correcto. Puedes colaborar editándolas como se indica en esta página.También puedes avisar en su página de discusión a quien las añadió pegando lo siguiente: {{subst:Aviso formato de referencias|Historia del teléfono móvil}} ~~~~Este aviso fue puesto el 28 de agosto de 2016. Estación base de telefonía móvil (celular). El teléfono móvil o teléfono celular es un aparato indispensable en la actualidad; sin embargo su populariz...

1939 film by Frank Borzage Disputed PassageAustralian trade adDirected byFrank BorzageScreenplay byAnthony VeillerSheridan GibneyBased onDisputed Passageby Lloyd C. DouglasProduced byHarlan ThompsonStarringDorothy LamourAkim TamiroffJohn HowardJudith BarrettWilliam Collier, Sr.CinematographyWilliam C. MellorEdited byJames SmithMusic byFriedrich Hollaender(as Friedrich Hollander)John LeipoldColor processBlack and whiteProductioncompanyParamount PicturesDistributed byParamount PicturesRelease d...

 

Television channel Discovery PeopleCountryUnited StatesProgrammingLanguage(s)EnglishPicture format480i (SDTV)OwnershipOwnerCBS Corporation (1997-1999)Discovery Communications (1998-2000)HistoryLaunchedMarch 31, 1997; 26 years ago (1997-03-31)Closed2000Former namesCBS Eye on People (1997–1998)Eye on People (1998–1999) Discovery People was an American cable television network. The channel was launched on March 31, 1997 by CBS as CBS Eye on People, and featured news and hum...

 

Memphis and Little Rock RailroadCivil War era locomotiveOverviewLocaleArkansasDates of operation1853–1873SuccessorChicago, Rock Island and Pacific RailroadTechnicalTrack gauge5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) Indian gaugeLength133 mi (214 km) The Memphis and Little Rock Railroad was chartered in the U.S. state of Arkansas in 1853. The line ran from Hopefield, Arkansas (now West Memphis) on the east, to Huntersville (now North Little Rock, Arkansas) on the west. The east...

1954 filmSheep AhoyTitle cardDirected byCharles M. JonesStory byMichael MalteseProduced byEdward Selzer (uncredited)StarringMel BlancMusic byMilt FranklynAnimation byRichard ThompsonAbe LevitowLayouts byMaurice NobleBackgrounds byPhilip DeGuardColor processTechnicolorProductioncompanyWarner Bros. CartoonsDistributed byWarner Bros. PicturesThe Vitaphone CorporationRelease dateDecember 11, 1954Running time6 minutes and 40 secondsLanguageEnglish Sheep Ahoy is a 1954 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies ...

 

Men's artistic individual all-around at the 2014 Commonwealth GamesVenueSSE HydroDates30 July 2014Competitors24 from 10 nationswinning score90.631Medalists  Max Whitlock   England Daniel Keatings   Scotland Nile Wilson   England← 20102018 → Gymnastics at the2014 Commonwealth GamesArtisticTeam all-aroundmenwomenIndividual all-aroundmenwomenVaultmenwomenFloormenwomenPommel horsemenRingsmenParallel barsmenHori...

 

قلعلة لعلعمعلومات عامةنوع المبنى قلعةالمكان مكة المكرمةالبلد السعوديةأبرز الأحداثبداية التشييد 1215 هـ - 1800تعديل - تعديل مصدري - تعديل ويكي بيانات قلعة لعلع أو قلعة فلفلة إحدى قلاع مكة المكرمة، وتنطق بفتح اللام وسكون العين وفتح اللام الثانية، تقع القلعة على إحدى قمم جبل قعي...

Syrian Basketball FederationAbbreviationSBFFormation1947; 76 years ago (1947)LocationDamascus, SyriaPresidentTarif KoutrachSecretary GeneralDanial Zou Al KefelAffiliationsFIBAFIBA AsiaWABASyrian Olympic CommitteeWebsitehttp://www.syrbf.org The Syrian Basketball Federation is the governing body of basketball in Syria.[1] It organizes national professional championships men, women and youth, while it is also responsible for holding the cup of the country. It also coord...

 

2022 film by Chloe Okuno WatcherTheatrical release posterDirected byChloe OkunoScreenplay byChloe OkunoBased onthe screenplay by Zack FordProduced by Roy Lee Steven Schneider Derek Dauchy Mason Novick John Finemore Aaron Kaplan Sean Perrone Starring Maika Monroe Karl Glusman Burn Gorman CinematographyBenjamin Kirk NielsenEdited byMichael BlockMusic byNathan HalpernProductioncompanies Image Nation Abu Dhabi AGC International Spooky Pictures Lost City Distributed by IFC MidnightShudder (United ...

 

Demi Moore in 2011 American actress Demi Moore made her film debut in 1981 then appeared on the soap opera General Hospital (1982–1983) and subsequently gained widespread recognition as a member of the Brat Pack with roles in Blame It on Rio (1984), St. Elmo's Fire (1985), and About Last Night... (1986).[1] While the lattermost made Moore a star, she established herself as a bankable performer with Ghost, the highest-grossing film of 1990. Her performance was praised and earned her ...

For the UK group who had a 1992 hit with Dancing Queen, see Dancing Queen § Other covers. French musical ABBAcadabraAlbum cover for the 1983 French soundtrack albumMusicBenny Andersson Björn UlvaeusLyricsBenny Andersson Björn UlvaeusBookAlain Boublil Daniel BoublilProductions1983 France 1983 London 1984 Portugal 1985 Netherlands ABBAcadabra is a French children's musical based on songs from the pop group ABBA. It was originally produced for French television in 1983 by Alain and Danie...

 

G7

No debe confundirse con G8. Grupo de los Siete (G7)      Miembros del G7     Estados europeos que están representados por la Unión Europea, que es miembro de facto del G7     Miembros del G7     Estados europeos que están representados por la Unión Europea, que es miembro de facto del G7   Ciudad más poblada Tokio, Japón Tipo Asociación intergubernamentalForo político y económico ...

 

Strategi Solo vs Squad di Free Fire: Cara Menang Mudah!