Apple Blossom Cotillion is Springfield's 60th

For 60 straight springs, Springfield area high school seniors have dressed up and danced to raise money for their community.

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Published May 6, 2016 in the Rutland Herald Apple Blossom Cotillion is Springfield’s 60th By SUSAN SMALLHEER SPRINGFIELD — For 60 straight springs, Springfield area high school seniors have dressed up and danced to raise money for their community. The 60th annual Apple Blossom Cotillion will debut tonight at Riverside Gymnasium, with the second night Saturday featuring the crowning of the Cotillion queen and her court. The traditional, the only one of its kind that still exists in Vermont, attracts thousands of people to watch the 17- and 18-year-old girls dance to popular songs, often with their chosen escorts. And for the past three decades, the teenagers have been joined on the dance floor by a younger set of performers. The theme this year is “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” and will feature music from the six decades of the Apple Blossom Cotillion. And this year’s Cotillion will honor the very first Apple Blossom queen, Joan Ryan Bishop. In celebration of the cotillion’s 60th anniversary, a documentary film is also being made. According to Larry Kraft, the development officer of the Springfield Medical Care Systems, the film is still being made, and he said the filmmaker will be at the cotillion Saturday. He said he hopes the film will be ready by the end of the year. “The Cotillion has evolved and changed over the years. Its first five years, it was a ball, more of a party. And then the contestants started performing,” said Kraft. The first Cotillion was held in 1957. Pam Shaughnessy, one of the three directors, said Thursday the final week of rehearsal was going well. “Things have pulled together. It’s a really tight group, it’s small so maybe that contributes to that feeling,” she said. Shaughnessy’s other co-directors are Kyla White and Carrie Jewell. “This is my 12th year directing it,” she said, nothing she had taken a short break for a few years after doing it for a decade. “This is my second year back.” Others assisting are the guest choreographers and children’s coordinators, Tracy Austin and Candace Groner. Returning this year for his 16th year as master of ceremonies is Kraft. Shaughnessy said the senior girls’ gowns are mint green, with the boys in black tuxedos. “The little girls are also in mint green,” she said. The boys, all ages, will have colored vests to match. Musical numbers range from the 1950s to the 2010s, she said, including “Rock Around The Clock” and “At the Hop” as well as “Great Balls of Fire” and “Teenager in Love.” Then fast forward through the years to “Son of a Preacher Man,” and “Men in Black.” The finale, she said, will be “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. “It’s a real mix of music,” she said. “We took into consideration the goal to keep it light and fresh, while appealing to the kids and the people who come to Apple Blossom for years.” Tickets for tonight’s performance are $10 in advance, and $12 at the door. Tickets for Saturday are $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Tickets may be purchased at Tina’s Hallmark and at Baccaccio’s salons, both in Springfield. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the show at 7:30 p.m. http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20160506/NEWS02/160509639