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Saturday, February 18, 2017

Gold and Green Ball; have you heard of it?

     If you know all about planning and attending a Gold and Green Ball where a Queen was crowned then I know about what age you are. Well maybe.
I remember my parents being involved in the planning and decorating and dancing in many of these events while living in the Jerome LDS 2nd Ward in the Blaine Stake.  
     On March 22, 1946 just five weeks shy of my fourth birthday I was a 'flower girl' attendant to the Queen as well as four other little girls.  Also, little Richard Gibbons, he was the Crown bearer. I thought he was so cute with the biggest ears. His parents and mine were friends and on occasion we were playmates.
     I still have the dress that was made for me as you see in the picture and the picture of me wearing the dress. I am not happy.  I remember my mother coaxing (begging me) to smile for this picture.  She just didn't realize how scratchy the material was on my body even though it had a matching slip underneath.  Where you see the little rosettes on the neck and the waist with ribbons hanging down, in the center of the rosettes were little buttons that looked like little beady eyes and they were scaring me. Also, it was too tight under my arms and no matter how many times my mother said to me "you will only be wearing the dress for one evening so get used to it and don't complain."  Well, I didn't complain I just would not show joy on my face even though it was a big fancy event.
"Evaun Anderson ....who was crowned Queen of the L.D.S. Second Ward Green and Gold Ball here Friday evening"
     This is the newspaper article about the Gold and Green Ball and still I am scowling.

      Gold and Green Balls today are not like what you see in this picture.  Lots of planning and decorating and dance practices. It was a formal attire.  The event was put on by the Mutual Improvement Association whose colors were Gold and Green which is where the name evolved from. Green stood for youth and growth; gold stood for purity and perfection.  (This may be true today.)
My mother worked in the MIA program of the LDS Church for years and was involved in this event on both the Ward level and the Stake level.  Not only was there a Ward event but, a Stake Gold and Green Ball event followed soon after each Ward event was held.  This year of 1946 the G&G Ball was held at the local Moose Hall.

     At 10:PM the floor show would begin.  I do remember all the dancing.  Adult couples would dance; maybe the tango or waltz etc.  Then the 'All Girl' dance to the theme of that year.  All dances were prepared weeks before the event which meant 'dance practices' for both adults and youth through the winter months.
      And, always a live orchestra.

     How to choose a Queen was done by whatever method a ward, branch, or stake chose.  Sometimes it was by popular choice and voting, some were chosen because they sold the most subscriptions to the Improvement Era, or maybe they had the best record of meeting attendance or very simply drew their name out of a hat.  I do not know when this practice of crowning a Queen ended.  If you want to know more about Gold and Green Balls; Google it there's lots of info about it.

     Thanks for stopping by.