Evening star., 1961-10-15
BY HUGH MULLIGAN

WOI ~ 4OICA14OSb OCAA4OC1 dCJt
annually crowns more queens
than ever trod the red plush
carpets of Westminster Alb
bey or batted q badminton
bird back at Elsa Maxwell.
More, indeed, than ever sat
on all the thrones of all the
kingdoms of antiquity or ever
will sit from now to kingdom
come.
So far in 1861 an estimated
10000 comely commoners,
reared in the rudiments of a
republican form of govern
ment, have cast aside their
anit-monarchiSt heritage to
vie for such reginal scepters
as the Hot Rod Queen, Tex
as Turkey Queen. Rural
Identification Queen. Queen
of the Drake Relays. Potato
Chip queen, Mushroom
Queen, Louisiana Yam Queen,
Queen of the National Cherry
Blossom Festival, Sweater
Queen, Bow Tie Queen, Has
brouck Heights High School
Homecoming Queen and
queen of just about every
thing else from asphalt tile
to zinc sinks.
Last month in Charleston,
w. Va. 1873 teen-agers turned
out to seek the title of Queen
of the Kanawha County Ba-
ton Twirling Festival before
an audience Of 10000. For one
county in West Virginia this
was a commendable turnout,
but 1t was only a drop in
the beauty bucket compared
with the 10000 who sought
the Miss America crown In
city, state and national elimi-
nations and the uncounted
thousands who compete for
such major (aS far as money
and prestige goes) titles as
Miss Universe, Miss World,
n.los Dixie, Miss Sun Fun
and Miss Rheingold.
No phase Of American life,
animal, vegetable or mineral,
is safe from the snares of re-
Surgent royalty.
The Angus Queen. for in
stance, is a pretty girl and
not a purebred COW. SO, too,
is the Hereford Queen, the
Guernsey Queen. The Hol-
stein -Friesian Queen and the
Hampshire Queen. the latter
reigning by sufferance of the
Hampshire Meat Hog Confer
ence.
Queen in the South
Cotton may still be king In
the South. but the bulk of the
press notices 60 to his queen,
the Maid Of Cotton, who is
not to be confused with the
Maid O'Corn or the Maid of
Maple Sirup or Niagara Falls
Maid of Mist or the AFL-
CLOS Union Maid or the
Maid of Japan chosen each
year by a group Of Japanese
importers.
In other kingdoms, still Of
this world. there's an Azalea
Queen, a Gladiolus Queen, a
Potato Blossom Queen, a
Rhododendron Queen, as we'll
as assorted queens of grapes,
wine, wool, linen, tea, coffee,
sugar. tobacco. watermelon,
shallogs, plywood. gum spir-
its Of turpentine, hosiery,
corsets, guided missiles, dates,
figs, hamburger, hot dog,
mustard, sauerkraut, pickles,
(both dill and Kosher) and,
to put the finishing touches
to a royal repast. a Tooth
pick Queen.
Some queens are crowned
in ceremonies so informal
that the only royal at
tendants are the press agent
who dreamed up the title and
the bored photographer hired
to record the coronation for
posterity. The only contest
involved takes place in the
press agents mind as he tries
to decide which model or
which starlet would care to
be known henceforth as the
Pencil Week Queen or the
Smoked Salmon Queen.
Others, like Miss America
and Miss Universe, wade to
their lucrative thrones
through a sea Of televised hy-
perbole and are crowned in
ceremonies just a shake less
elaborate than the accession
of Elizabeth II.
1t Pays Off
North Cardinals Maria
Beale Fletcher, whose recent
enthronement as Miss Amer
lea will earn her $4,000 in
VNareANaI n avNNan ,,n .. m fnog Va1Y,n