http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20110509/NEWS02/705099915
Published May 9, 2011 in the Rutland Herald
Apple Blossom Cotillion: A tradition
By SUSAN SMALLHEER
SPRINGFIELD — Chelsea Howland was crowned Springfield’s 55th queen of the Apple Blossom Cotillion on Saturday night, continuing a popular town tradition that blends community fundraising and the celebration of spring and youth.
Howland, a senior at Springfield High School, was selected by a panel of judges, who interviewed Howland and the other 10 high school students who competed in the community pageant, which this year took the theme “Days Gone By.”
Their scores in the interview were combined with their scores for their performance during the cotillion to select the winner.
Howland’s sister Elizabeth Howland was the 2007 queen, and the two queens’ father, Philip Howland, laughed and said there were no more sisters to compete in the pageant. The new queen’s parents are Philip and Cathy Howland of Springfield.
Howland plans on attending the University of Vermont and major in biology, with the goal of attending medical school, her father said, as his daughter was mobbed by friends and family.
Howland was escorted by Robert Wheeler.
Other members of Howland’s court were Mariama Roldan, Alaina Page, Alexis Locke and Sarah Vredenburgh. Their escorts were Aaron Wallace, Derek Otis, Ryan Kehoe and Jordan Clapperton.
Miss Congeniality, who is selected by the pageant contestants, was Nikka Bactad, while Mr. Congeniality, selected from among the escorts, was Jordan Clapperton.
Dressed in royal blue long gowns, with a V-neck decorated with beading, the contestants danced to songs such as “One Fine Day,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and “Could I Have This Dance” around the Dressel Gymnasium.
The 11 couples, all from Springfield High School, sang and danced in front of a crowd of about 1,000 people, who watched the girls and their escorts reprise popular songs taken from earlier cotillions.
The high school students were joined by 24 elementary school couples, who also dress up and dance during the pageant.
Audience favorites were the numbers when the contestants danced with the elementary school girls, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” and when their male counterparts did their best Elvis imitation with “Hound Dog.”
The evening’s finale, “Footloose,” from the 1984 movie musical, brought all ages to the gym floor.
The cotillion, a fundraising effort sponsored by Springfield Medical Care Systems, raises funds that in recent years have been used for scholarships for students pursuing a career in medicine.
This year, a majority of the money raised will be used for one scholarship, named in memory of a longtime Springfield physician, Dr. Sherburne Lovell, said Larry Kraft, the master of ceremonies for the event.
Kraft, who has been emcee for the past 11 years, said that Springfield’s cotillion was the last one in Vermont, and one of the few left in the country.
Carrie Jewell and Pam Church are co-directors of the pageant, the 2012 Apple Blossom Cotillion will be their last, Kraft said.
During the pageant, several people involved in Springfield’s 250th birthday celebration outlined upcoming events, which kick off June 18 during the Alumni Parade, and culminate with “Heritage Week” starting on Aug. 14, with Springfield’s 250th History Fair.
Other contestants included Christine Clancy, escorted by Justin Desrosier; Alexis Esposito, escorted by Archie Farmer, Alanna Parker, escorted by Benjamin Cox; Hannah Olmsted, escorted by Alec Benoit, Nikka Bactad, escorted by Nicholas Koch, and Desmond Dana, escorted by Michael Muther. The couples have all been rehearsing since January for Saturday’s pageant.
Chelsea Howland, middle, poses for a photograph after being named the 2011 queen during the Apple Blossom Cotillion at Riverside Middle School in Springfield on Saturday night. Also pictured are the students named to the court, left to right; Mariama Roldan, Alaina Page, Sarah Vredenburgh and Alexis Locke.
Photo: Susan Smallheer / Staff photo
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