Friday, July 6, 2012

Parade Royalty...Crowns and Smiles on Display

One of the staples of any respectable parade is the parade royalty riding on floats or horses or shiny cars. Seguin's 2012 Fourth of July parade had it's fair share of queens, princess and duchesses. Here are some that I came across as I walked with my camera.

These gals are the Guadalupe County Fair Association representatives. The Queen is in the middle, wearing the blue, and she is flanked by the princess and duchess. This was one of the first floats I came to as I started my walk. It was early, there was still almost an hour until the parade started, so the young women were lounging on the float, wearing their crowns, their camisole tops draped with their sashes, but they were wearing shorts, not their long skirts. I introduced myself and asked if I could take their picture, and they jumped up and started to put on their skirts, which are basically a long apron with a tie. I assured them that I would take their picture from the waist up. They didn't need to put on their royal garb just for me, since there was still so much time to pass until the parade started. However, they insisted, as they flashed their royal smiles. What sweet girls...




Next, I came across several young women wearing western attire...you know, white hat, lots of silver and gold, big belt buckles, jeans...Here is Guadalupe County's Miss Round-up, along with her beautiful ride, a sweet-tempered horse.

The city of Luling, which is only about twenty miles away, always sends their Watermelon Thump queen and her attendants. Luling has a watermelon festival in June, and these ladies  serve as the royal court for their city. The vivid red and bright greens in their float make a wonderful backdrop for the young women.

These two young women are sisters from the town of Yoakum, which is about 50 miles south-east of Seguin. Yoakum is renowned for its leather products, so, of course, their royal garb is leather. Their mother (I think she was their mother, anyway) talked to me for a bit and told me all about the store that provided the costumes, Double D Ranchwear. She said that the pink fringed jackets probably cost at least $600 each, and that the total for each of the girls' outfits was probably around $1000. The queen and her sister sure look proud and happy, don't they?


While I think about it, I want to say thank you to all the people I met and photographed on the Fourth....everyone was so gracious and hospitable to me. So, come back in the next few days as I post several more blogs on different facets of Seguin's parade.

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