Apple Blossom Cotillion crowns 60th queen

Twelve young contestants dressed in flowing aqua-colored gowns and their escorts wearing black tuxedos got down and boogied the night away in a celebration of the musical decades Saturday during the 2016 Apple Blossom Cotillion.

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60th Apple Blossom Cotillion celebrates rock ‘n’ roll and community

Nicole Murray won a crown and gave a crown Saturday night. Murray was crowned queen of the 60th Apple Blossom Cotillion.

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2016-05-09 / Front Page Apple Blossom Cotillion crowns 60th queen By Allan Stein allans@eagletimes.com Nicole Murray celebrates after being named queen of the 2016 Apple Blossom Cotillion on Saturday, May 7. — ALLAN STEIN Nicole Murray celebrates after being named queen of the 2016 Apple Blossom Cotillion on Saturday, May 7. — ALLAN STEIN SPRINGFIELD — Twelve young contestants dressed in flowing aqua-colored gowns and their escorts wearing black tuxedos got down and boogied the night away in a celebration of the musical decades Saturday during the 2016 Apple Blossom Cotillion. “Shake, Rattle and Roll” was the theme of the 60th cotillion held inside the Riverside School gym and attended by more than 200 guests. The cotillion featured a medley of professionally choreographed dance competition to the music of the 50s, 60s, 70s, and beyond, in which poise, elegance, and grace counted just as much as enthusiasm and precision on the dance floor. The annual tradition began in 1957 under the leadership of Harriet Lindley, past president of the Springfield Hospital Auxiliary and chair of the hospital Ways and Means Committee. Lindley conceived the idea for a competition as a way to raise funds for Auxiliary programs. Proceeds from the cotillion also go to support a student scholarship program sponsored by the hospital. In 1957, 17 senior girls from regional high schools were selected to compete for Queen of the Apple Blossom Ball, as the cotillion was known then. “Choosing a queen was a complex and thoughtful process. Judges were business people from the local Chamber of Commerce. Initial judging took place through interviews and attendance at a formal tea a few months before the dance,” according to a history of the first Apple Blossom Ball. The dance is the only surviving cotillion in Vermont and New Hampshire, said Larry Kraft, this year’s master of ceremonies. Contestants and their escorts included Rebekah Ferreira and Elijah Pianka, Nicole Murray and Christian Terry, Calista Polidor and Matthew Wright, Elizabeth Mackenzie and Hunter Grace, Adrienne Stevens and Zachary Cooper, Rayven Hersey and E.J. Bromley, Lillianna Moore and Zachary Tubbs, Samantha Metcalf and Jon Hildreth, Ayres DeLorenzo and Ryan Cooney, Arianna Rowe and Mason Olney, Laurana Slobodnjak and Orion Pfenning, Alexis Bellows and Conor Foulois, including 18 future Cotilllionaires in grades K-4. Musical scores included iconic songs from the 50s featuring “Rock Around the Clock” and “At the Hop,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Teenager in Love,” and the event’s namesake, “Shake, Rattle & Roll,” as well as modern themes like “Son of a Preacher Man” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The show also featured recognition of the first Apple Blossom Queen, Joan Ryan Bishop and her Court, and 2015 Queen Alexis Roldan. Seated in the audience was Julia Kihiry of Springfield, who has been coming to the annual cotillion for the past 60 years. “I like it. I’m local, and I like the kids,” said Kihiry, whose three daughters and son have been participants in cotillions in years past. Hunter Grace was named Mr. Congeniality and Arianna Rowe Miss Congeniality for the 2016 cotillion. After the event’s finale, “Happy,” the judges crowned Nicole Murray the queen of the 2016 Apple Blossom Cotillion and selected as members of her court Lillianna Moore, Elizabeth Mackenzie, Arianna Rowe, and Rebekah Ferreira.