Town defies time to continue tradition

Annual Springfield Hospital fundraiser event is Vermont’s only remaining cotillion.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20140113/NEWS02/701139990

Springfield Apple Blossom Cotillion directors Lisa Rushton, left, and Tammy Farmer, right, lead students in this month’s first rehearsal for the 58th annual spring fundraiser. Photo: Kevin O’Connor / Staff PhotoPublished January 13, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Vt. town defies time to continue tradition Editor’s note: This is the first story in a periodic series exploring the evolution of Vermont’s only continuing cotillion. By Kevin O’Connor Staff Writer Springfield High School senior Chase Baldwin is entertaining nearly 30 classmates with a hip-hopping story. “All of a sudden,” the 17-year-old concludes, “I’m like boing, boing, boing, boing!” The resulting laughter recedes with the arrival of the clipboard-carrying adults. “Welcome to the 58th annual Apple Blossom Cotillion,” their leader says. Make that the 58th annual Apple Blossom Cotillion kickoff rehearsal. Yes, Baldwin is bouncing about this January Sunday in a camouflage coat and fluorescent knit cap while his friends wiggle on stone-cold gym bleachers. But four months from now, they’ll be in ball gowns and tuxedos, swirling in a spring breeze before a crowd packed with seemingly every resident of this Windsor County town of 9,373. Back in the black-and-white days of “Father Knows Best,” schoolgirls and boys danced in armories and auditoriums throughout the country to raise money for local charities. Springfield started in 1957 — 30 years after Charles Lindbergh chose the town as his Vermont stop on a tour celebrating his 1927 transatlantic flight, and nearly a decade after its three major machine-tool plants were so productive they ranked as some of the nation’s most likely bombing targets during World War II. The factories and other formal events have since folded. But the Springfield Hospital fundraiser boasts the stamina of a marathon dancer. So what does it take to continue the state’s only remaining cotillion? Larry Kraft, hospital director of foundation and charitable giving, points to directors Tammy Farmer and Lisa Rushton, who began choosing music and choreography as soon as last spring’s event concluded. And 15 teen couples set to rehearse every Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. until May 3. And a volunteer support staff juggling attendance, wardrobe measurements and temperamental music equipment. “You are part of carrying on the tradition,” Kraft tells everyone at the start of practice. “All of your efforts will pay off by making services at the hospital better.” By some $15,000 after expenses, according to the annual budget. But as astronauts know, giant leaps start with small steps. That’s why students line up on the basketball court as the directors list all the songs for “A Thriller Evening — Cotillion Style,” featuring music with ties to Michael Jackson. Take the “Come Together” opening number. Sure, the Beatles wrote and recorded the song. But Jackson covered it, too, so it qualifies for a playlist that also includes hits by his brothers and sisters. What happened to the waltz, tango and foxtrot? “The rehearsal is completely closed,” Farmer tells lingering parents before prodding them outside. “It’s not a surprise if people watch.” As such, the exempt reporter can see but not share the steps, snaps, spins and shoulder rolls repeated over the next two hours. To satisfy public curiosity, he’s allowed to disclose that students must spend nearly $200 on required formal wear (financial aid is available) and girls can’t miss more than two practices over the next 17 weeks or they’ll forfeit the chance to win the title of Apple Blossom Queen. Sound confining? Students are committed. Sara Locke, a 17-year-old senior, inherited such determination from her mother, who landed on the sidelines back in the era when throngs of girls applied to a selection committee that winnowed them down to a more manageable set of finalists. (Yes, the reporter can reveal that: “My mom jokes about it,” Locke says.) Today, most students would rather plug into sports or part-time work, so anyone who goes out gets in. “Being it’s my senior year,” Locke says, “I want to do everything I can and not have any regrets.” Then there’s Baldwin, who removes his hunting jacket to reveal a black “Taylor Gang or Die” T-shirt. Ask organizers if the student is a threat and they confirm he is: This limber, lean, dancing machine is giving his all to a third consecutive cotillion. “The first year I thought, ‘Why not?’” the sure-footed soccer player says. “This year my girlfriend asked me to.” The gym remains cold as the group departs upon barely learning just one of a dozen dances. So much is left to measure, meter and master. But organizers have faith — and a few last words. “This is your first practice,” Farmer says. “You’re going to go home and perfect it.”