State societies party with the Goo Goos

The longest serving member of the Tennessee State Society, Mary Lou Collector, partied with Sederia Gray, the Mississippi Cherry Blossom Princess, left, and Ashley Kimery, the Tennessee Cherry Blossom Princess, last week at Bobby Van's Grill on New York Avenue in Washington/Patricia Leslie

 

The number attending the 2013 Tennessee and Mississippi joint state societies' fete for their cherry blossom princesses at Bobby Van's Grill Thursday night was about half what it was last year, probably due to the omission of a third state society which swelled the 2012 crowd (Alabama). 

 

And maybe it was again lack of any munchies anywhere (not even little nuts or crackers at the bar),

 

Excuse, please, but "Goo Goos" (?) from Tennessee graced the tables. 

 

For hicks unaware, Goo Goos are chocolate pieces loaded with nuts and marshmallows, sure to please most everyone, especially mixed with beer and wine (?). Guess you had to be there to taste.

 

Mary Lou Collector, one of the party people always present, said she has been a Tennessee delegate to the National Conference of State Societies for 49 years.  A former resident of Copper Hill, Tennessee, Ms. Collector is a longtime resident of Washington.

 

Tennessee's cherry blossom princess, Ashley Kimery, is from Pasadena, California, and attends Vanderbilt.  Apparently,  the Tennessee State Society couldn't find any qualified native women from the Volunteer State to fill the bill and had to look elsewhere.  Someone needs to contact Cong. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis).

 

 

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State societies party with cherry blossom princesses

Maya Halbert, the 2012 Tennessee Cherry Blossom Princess, with Brett Logan, board member of the Tennessee State Society, at the reception at Bobby Van's Grill/Patricia Leslie

Sports rivalries among some Southern states were largely forgotten Tuesday night at Bobby Van's Grill where members of the state societies of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama met to mix, mingle and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the planting of the cherry blossoms in Washington with distinguished guests, the states' cherry blossom princesses.

From left: Keiko Asakura Halbert, the proud mother of Sammy Halbert (center) and Maya Halbert, the 2012 Tennessee Cherry Blossom Princess, all from Nashville, at the Tennessee State Society reception at Bobby Van's Grill/Patricia Leslie


Mississippi Cherry Blossom Princess, Grace Swoope, comes from a family of five princesses that includes her mother, Mary McDaniel Swoope (1981) and her aunt, Peggy McDaniel Welch (1978), now an Indiana state legislator.

As they say in Mississippi, beauty runs deep.

From left, Peggy McDaniel Welch, Indiana state representative and 1978 Mississippi Cherry Blossom Princess, with her niece, Grace Swoope, 2012 Mississippi Cherry Blossom Princess, at the Southern state societies event at Bobby Van's Grill. Grace is a costume designer whose resume includes The Help and Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film. /Patricia Leslie

In elegant attire, the princesses performed their duties well, warmly welcoming guests to the reception, made even more pleasing by perfectly cooked steaks found upstairs.

Mary Lou Collector, the oldest Tennessee State Society member, with Grace Swoope, 2012 Mississippi Cherry Blossom Princess/Patricia Leslie

For once, the state societies' crowd seemed more than just 20 and 30-somethings from Capitol Hill, since walking around and staking claim to the title of Ms. Tennessee State Society Oldest Member was Mary Lou Collector, who was joined at the party by other "seasoned Southerners."   

Said one Alabama alum when "sports" inevitably came up for chat: "Basketball?  Basketball?  Who cares about basketball?  This is the SEC where football is king!"  Amen, brother.

It pays to get out.

patricialesli@gmail.com

The State Societies Greet Cherry Blossom Princesses

Ms. Tennessee Cherry Blossom Princess Mary Clayton Davenport(orange jacket in right foreground) attended the Monday evening fete along with princesses from California, Kentucky, Alabama, and South Carolina

By The Queen of Free


It was not the place to be for those over age 30.

The congressmen who addressed the crowd while I was there were all over age 30 which may explain their rapid departure, like mere seconds after they spoke, not even appearing the least bit political or bothering to wait and shake the hands of those who feed them.

But wait, these were, likely, not constituents but mere Capitol Hill aides who are up here, not down here, and do they even vote? Average age: 25.

The event was to welcome the cherry blossom princesses from Tennessee, South Carolina, and Alabama whose state society members got together to exchange pleasantries and refreshments, all funded by lobbyists, thank you very much, in the foyer of the Rayburn House Office Building on Monday evening.

Rep. Jim Cooper (BD), Rep. Lincoln Davis (BD), and Rep. Phil Roe (R) all from Tennessee spoke briefly and ran out. Hmmmm, it was a Monday night which counts as one of Congress' eight days off a week, so fast Congressional getaways to go vote could not have been the reason.

The acoustics were so bad you couldn’t hear what they were saying anyway although each said a few words from a podium into a microphone.

Where were the senators? I guess it was too far for them to walk.

It was a much smaller event than last year’s, because, a Tennessee State Society officer explained to me, last year’s party was hosted by eight state societies, and Monday’s, only three. The beverages were about the same, but the hors d’oeuvres, much paltrier (smaller variety, no shrimp, paper plates (did we have paper plates last year?)). The economy, you know. Even the lobbyists are affected! Oh, dear.

Whatever, it was fun to greet and meet new faces and learn new things while munching, drinking and gazing upon the Capitol, the grounds, and the gorgeous blossoms which filled the long windows.