Venturing down Columbia way for the first time since Okra Strut years ago, we made out contribution to the St. Pat's in Five Points parade. Honestly, this festival is bigger than the SPQ event in Jackson. Not as many Queens to say the least, but we spotted at least three other chapters in the lineup. And a great parade it was. And a cold parade it was. The crowd was amazed at how sexy green could be!

Short on Queens but Big on Excitement-- that sums up the Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday party at Skylyn Place nursing home this year. We had the ever-effervescent Teana Sue, complete with consort Herbal Tea and young son Ethan and a new potential Queen --Donna who came with two of her Granddaughters. The party was fab, but BSTQ was sick and being a Tuesday......

Frank Strait has officiallly been knighted as our AccuWeather WeatherStud! Frank is from Rock Hill, SC and luvvs him some Beacon Ice Tea. Well, BSTQ wrote Frank and made him a promise.. (That's promise with a LOWER CASE p), that if we got a good snow due to his expert weather prognostication, she would send him some Beacon tea. We got SOME snow-- enough to get the po' displaced Carolinian some of that Wine Of The South and he's been our official WeatherStud since!

We mourn the passing of TeanaPatricia's husband Willie, he was a great consort and a wonderful host. We send our sympathies out to TeanaPatricia and raise a toast of the finest tequila to Willie!

And THAT's why they call it Sparkle City! The change to a night parade for the Spartanburg Christmas Parade was great! With lots and lots of folks cheering us on, this year's parade was the best yet. We wish we had more Queens on the float, but it almost didn't happen at all! BSTQ had just gotten out of the hospital, and many of the other Queens had problems that kept them away. But, as they say, the show must go on!

Viva GreenVegas! I guess the reason they call Greenville "GreenVegas" is something of a joke, but the city looked like Fremont St. in Vegas on parade night. They had the canopy of trees over Main Street all lit up! Perfect for a Christmas parade. What was NOT perfect was our electrical failure on the float (Bah! Humbug!) and the disorganization that put us between two other musical floats. But we loved it anyway and hope to be back next year.

Jingle Belles, J.B., J.B. all the way..... It's Christmas time in the upstate! The Christmas season kicked off with the Queens at Cowpens ( a tradition kinda going back decades with BSTQ attending the last for years with her grandfather and then picking it right back up  when they restored them in 2004). As usual, Cowpens was cute and a little "country", and we wouldn't miss it!

With a whole mess of Sparkle City's musical talent and a dedicated volunteer staff (and Ashley Fly), this year's Spartanburg Bands Together hit Barnet Park for an evening of fine local music. Benefiting the Spartanburg Music Trail ( a really cool concept), the STQs joined in to help and have fun. Next year we think the money should go towards our Plastic Surgery fund.

We don't know whether to congratulate her or try her for mutiny, but TeanaAngie took a bunch of mild-mannered normal cubicle dwellers at Robert Allen Designs in Gaffney and turned them into her own STQ-chapter-for-a-day! She became the Gaffney Boss Queen  and along with one of her co-worker Queenly-types and four Security Studs, she raised big bux for Relay For Life. My my. We sure did corrupt li'l ol' Angie fast!

Y'all know how much the Queens like men in uniform, right? What if you aren't sure if the person in uniform is a man? What if it's someone  in a big chicken costume? That counts! Cocky, the USC mascot came to our local Chik-Fil-A recently, and some of the STQs were there for the opportunity to snuggle up to the biggest Gamecock in the world. After all, now that BSTQ and Mr. Tea are proud parents of  a freshman at Carolina, it was our duty!

The folks in Hendersonville were prepared. The H'ville Times News warned them. Their pre-parade article called us "one of the more memorable floats" in the history of the parade. Those folks must have good memories 'cuz they luvvvvvvedd us this year, too! From all the hootin' and hollerin' and the one kind gentleman who realized that BSTQ's garter wasn't complete without money under it, the
Apple Festival parade was one for the books.

Juicy & Delicious. That's us AND that was the '06 Peach parade. The clouds crossed their legs  and held off sprinkling and we had us a right nice parade! Teana Stacey lost her parade virginity, too! Imagine tellin' the grandkids that you lost your innocence in downtown Gaffney..... right on Limestone St. too.

BSTQ went and said a few things to the Greenville International Alliance For Professional Women at their meeting on July 20th. The Boss Queen tickled the group with tales of downright hussiness. This is new STQ Teana Stacey's group.  But she's still innocent, she won't have her eyes opened until Satiddy in Gaffney.

Some recent things happening to those associated with the Worldwide Sweet Potato Queen Movement (and, yes, that is O-FISHAL-LEE what it's called) got us thinkin'... This is our fifth year sashayin' and paradin' around the Upstate of South Carolina. It's just as much fun today as it was when we first met HRH Jill Conner Browne at Pic-A-Book in April of 2001. We still have the spirit, the attitude and the original mission in mind. That is to have fun, to be loud and proud, and show the world that, in the words of our drag queen pal, Nuclia Waste (website here), "it's never too late too have a happy childhood"! We hope that the thousands of others pursuing the same goals never lose the spirit that Jill helped us find. Don't let a few naysayers or bad apples spoil your fun. Remember to stay positive. They say that you are judged by the company you keep and we'd rather find ourselves with fun loving true friends than those who'd talk behind our backs.  Any waaaaay....Peach Festival is just a couple of weeks away, we've already got the application turned in for Apple and it's time for a nice tall glass of  Sweet Tea!

Another note to pass along: Pic-A-Book, one of our stalwart supporters from Day One, closed recently. When the Hughes family opened the store, there was not much commercial development out our way except for the shopping center they were a part of. Now, the whole area is developed. But it was probably the Internet, more than Barnes & Noble that was what did them in. The world has changed. We saw John Hughes and his wife at Mighty Moo and they cheered us on, as always. We wish them the best.

Another parade season kicked off with the Cowpens Mighty Moo thang! This was the best moo ever, with a slower pace and much better attendance. We spotted some good friends along the route and from the comments of the crowd, they were glad to see us. Whoopie!!

Well, maybe Charlotte was not meant to be, but Easley's Spring Fling? Let's just say we have found our people. We were asked to do our very own Queenly parade through the streets of Easley and then jump up on stage and dance-dance-DANCE! We also premiered our new Wheel of......? Ummmm...We don't have a name for our wheel yet. But it spun and spun as we sold Mardi Gras beads and TeanaSue's Herb... well let's just say he let just about everyone win.

Poo! Because of logistical problems (Mr. Tea's word for broken), we missed Charlotte's St. Patty's parade-- the first parade we ever had to miss-- we TOLD you 2006 was a little odd!

And so 2006 arrives, and soon after Mardi Gras! For us, that means Fat Tuesday at Skylyn Place. This year was a little odd with a bluegrass band instead of jazz, but maybe that portends the year to come?

It's hard to be a virgin when you've done as many as we've done, but we all new again at the Boiling Springs Christmas Parade! It was our first go at this one and we WILL be back. We guess that's a promise to some and a threat to others. It was a dee-lightful day! Not to mention the wonderful times at this year's Spartanburg and Cowpens parades. All in all, a grate parade season.

Rick & Kimberly. We just run into them everywhere! This time it was on their new Charter Cable tee-vee show Talk Of The Town. Now the whole upstate knows about our green sparkly selves. Will R&K be brave enough to join us on the float in '06? We shall see....

Santa Baby, we really are enjoying the Christmas Parade season. With two put away, Spartanburg and Cowpens, we're ready for a few more bits of Christmas fun and then on to Boiling Springs. They really do love us in Cowpens, and the crowds in Sparkle City do, too. But as for our local TV station... well, we must be too hot for some bashful folks.

Southern Culture On The Skids. That name alone starts us shakin' booty and throwin' chicken! That's what happened on Halloween weekend at the Handlebar in Greenville. The band was in fine form and we had a fabulous time on stage. And now Rick has a Mr. Tea hat! We wonder if he'll wear it at a show in the future?

Thanks to John Hughes at Pic-A-Book for letting us kick off our Relay For Life fundraising for 2006 at our favorite book store. Lots of traffic throughout the day made for a great start for the year. Lots of well-wishers and fans (!) came by to visit.

Speaking of the LaLa's, we showed up at their "I Deserve It" weekend and enjoyed the fool out of it. Vickie Smith AKA Tiffany Tiki, hosted this Mini-Jackson event with games, shopping and non-stop mimosas! And when talent show time came around, we won the trophy! And that's why we're "award winning"!

This was, without a doubt, the BEST Apple Festival parade yet. We got tons of media coverage, including a color photo on the front of the local section of the Asheville Citizen Times! But the parade itself was tops. The crowd was wonderful and the weather was perfect. AND, in a sign of things to come, we met up with the Lake Lure LaLa Queens.

Hurricane Katrina and the flood that followed stunned us. BSTQ & Mr. Tea's son "The Heir" had attended Tulane University in the Crescent City for the past four years, graduating this past Spring. Watching the destruction of New Orleans was horrifying. The people of New Orleans are near and dear to us. The Heir feels the kinship especially, having been an Orleanian for the past few years. We share your grief and sorrow. And we'll be part of that incredible party when The City returns.

To celebrate the Boss Queen's birthday, we strutted on over to Wild Wing Cafe in Sparkle City where we met up with a couple of BSTQ's cronies-- Ashley Fly and Holly Kennington. Holly's just fine but you gotta keep an eye on Fly. You never know what he's got planned.

New Queens and old favorites marked the summer of '05. Mighty Moo and the Gaffney Peach Parade were as fun as ever! Bringing TeanaPatricia on board was the icing on the cake! To make matters better, after all this time, Mr. Tea FINALLY got the sound system right with no skips, no sudden silence and LOTS of bass! Disco on!

It was the sparklin' o' the green in Charlotte this year as we debuted at the St. Patrick's Day parade in the Queen City! While it was a last minute idea by us, the City of Charlotte put a lot of effort in it. It was quite a thrill to be parading up Tryon St. through that canyon of skyscrapers and it was the first parade for our TeanaSue!

Mardi Gras was a bit late at Skylyn Place nursing home, but y'all wouldn't know it based on the enthusiasm. BSTQ and Teana Marie joined the parade through the halls and when we got to the party room, it was Fat Tuesday for everyone! Let's just say "What happens at Skylyn Place, stays at Skylyn Place".

New Years Eve 2004 with Southern Culture on the Skids-- does that sound like a blast? IT WAS!!! As y'all might expect, they called us up on stage. Too much fun!!

Two COLD Christmas parades-- we did Spartanburg's and Cowpens'--their first in 40 years. BSTQ was at the last one in a photo on her grandfather's shoulders. It's a tradition!

The Hendersonville King Apple parade was a ton o' fun-- in between the raindrops-- and it let loose just as we got to the end of the parade route. Soooo we had to go dry off at Binion's again. And yes, the peanuts went a-flyin'.
 
We get all warm and fuzzy thinking about this year's Peach Festival parade. Can it get any better? We fine-tuned the HunnyLee, had our picture taken with Senator Lindsey Graham and danced and shimmied to the best crowd yet. They call this parade one of South Carolina's premier parades and how right they are. Then a trip to the "Yaller Mall" and an adventure with the Hussy Bus blowing its radiator-- an adventurous day to be sure!
A convergence at Garfield's in WestGate Mall provided the location for a meetup with even more potential members! And they do make wonderful umbrella drinks.

Bust A MOOOOve! That was the call at the Mighty Moo parade for June 2004. The C.S.S. HunnyLeigh, our float made her debut in make-up (painted up the way she was designed to look). With new members, a returning member and a beautiful day, it was a great start to the parade season.

It was at The Beacon restaurant (our FAB sponsor) that we met up with Rick & Kimberly from Magic 98.9 FM again in May. They were quite the sight with a pen full of goats and a humongous RV. We could have moved right in! We gave Kimberly a tiara and gave Rick a gen-u-wine pendant from Mardi Gras that The Spare caught this year.

Spring Fling '04 was not as wild as last year with the hail storm and all, but it was wetter. We really only had a few good hours on Saturday, but still managed to raise $347 for Relay For Life. This year we have more fundraisers in the schedule, so with God's good grace, we'll break our records. Our new STQ-to-be Queen the Breeze, former Boss Queen of the Pink Flamingos was with us, too!  That girl is trubble, though. Gonna worry about her in Gatlinburg. Her mafia-maidens Linda and Debra came by and helped out, as well.

Our upstate radio debut was a smashing success on Magic 98.9. Rick and Kimberly made us feel right at home in their studios. Good thing, too, because getting up and over there at Early-Dark-Thirty was something that Queens just do not do on a normal basis. We had a great time and hopefully introduced a lot of upstate women to their undiscovered Queenliness.

Fat Tuesday at Skylyn Place nursing home was a real party!  The residents loved the beads and were amazed at all the green sequins. There was even a Mardi Gras parade that wound around inside to the party room.

Teana Nicole, or T-Nic as she is sometimes called, attended a CD-release concert at Horizon Music in Greenville on Feb. 19th for Southern Culture On The Skids. She had Teana KimmyNan and Hambone with her, but it was T-Nic who stole the show! She was dressed in her STQ regalia and got mucho recognition from the audience AND the band! Following Boss Queen's tradition, she danced on stage to "Daddy Was A Preacher but Mama Was A Go-Go Girl" . We do luv us some SCOTS! Hope to see them again soon.

The American Red Cross asked us to attend their RetroFest disco party to add "Color and flair". Mission Accomplished! What a party! With "Boston" Powers on hand, the whole thing was shagadelic! We danced 'till the wee hours and then crashed all weekend. Such is the life of a Queen....

Blacksburg was anything but dark for their Christmas Parade. It was a huge route and great crowds! We had a few electrical technical difficulties, but all will be solved come Spring!

It looked like the $1 Stores and the Ho Stos were cleaned out thanks to the Queens! The annual STQ Christmas Party was a blast this year with every kind of Queenly food imaginable on hand and presents galore. The bash went on for several hours-- but not too late 'cuz the Greenwood Christmas Parade is the next day!

On a lark, KimmyNan donned the spare STQ outfit and made an appearance with Mr. Tea (in the ORIGINAL Mr. Tea get-up) at the Converse College Peppermint Ball. Many were shocked, but President Dr. Nancy Gray was tickled by Kimmy's senior prank and offered to pose for a photo! How cool!

Almost every weekend and many weeknights in November '03 have been spent prepping up our new float, dubbed the STQ Hunny-ley by Queen Bea, after the CSS Hunley submarine raised from the bottom of Charleston harbor. The Hunley was the first sub to sink an enemy ship (during the War Between The States. And while no one perished in the maiden voyage of the Hunny-Ley, there were a lot of wet Queens from the rain. In the midst of all this, we had a new portrait taken. The Picture People in WestGate Mall did the deed again, but this time we earned free pictures in exchange for "Queening" someone at Bath and Body Works. What a deal!

GATLINBURG 2003-- what was a 15 queen event last year ballooned to almost 50 this year! There were some growth pains, but overall it was tons of fun. From the gallant Men in Blue to our encounter with Rocky Top up close and personal, we are ready to do it again!
The International Festival was a blast this year. We were sponsored by Converse College and had an official job! We read to children in a story-time setting. Not only that but we paraded around Barnet Park in the International Parade TWICE and met some delicious mariachi band members and bagpipe-playing guys!

We danced and danced and danced and danced some more! But we'd do anything for our adoring fans. So for three hours straight we danced at the year's final Music on Main party in downtown Spartanburg. Oh, and then there were all the free Viagra samples!

The darts were flyin' at the teevee on 9/20 as the Miss America Pageant party commenced. Teana KimmyNan hosted this year's party while Mr. Tea and The Spare acted as Cabana Boys.

Let us tell y'all after meetin', greetin' and eatin' with Pam Stone--she is the same girl in person that you hear on the radio! Our time with her up in the hills was just soooo much fun! Now that she's an honorary STQ, we have to work on getting her to be an ACTUAL Sweet Tea Queen! One parade ought to do it. We'll pick one out real soon.

The North Carolina Apple Festival is officially on the roster of parades. The weather was great, if not a little hot for Labor Day, the crowds were wonderful and the route was just too cool: right down through the middle of the street fair! We'll be there next year for sure! The last two Queenly Convergences saw induction of new STQs! At the Cracker Barrel event we welcomes BSTQ's good friend Helen who will forever be known henceforth as TeanaMarie (her middle name) and at the Beacon gathering TeanaJanet made her debut. Looks like the float is filling up!

BSTQ and Mr. Tea celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a vow renewal ceremony at BobDaddy's church, St. David's Episcopal in Columbia on 7/26. After the fab event, the crew ate wedding cake and wonderful Horse O'Varies provided by TeanaLisa and TeanaNicole who also acted as bridesmaids. Then it was on to LaBrasca's Pizza, the site of the happy couple's first meal as a happy couple. Even later, those remaining headed over to Jillian's at the Vista in Columbia, where they danced the night away!

The Queens were joined by Ms. Whirled Peas and Coffee Goddess for the Peach Festival parade and the Yeller Mall was graced again this year, too! TeanaNicole traded some beads for a free lunch and then the Queens all got Oscar Meyer weenie whistles! TeanaLisa was acting Boss Queen again, 'cuz BSTQ was out from gall bladder surgery. Hunny? You itchin' to parade or what?

Double Trouble! At least that's what it was for those poor unfortunates that don't understand Queenliness! First we paraded through downtown Cowpens, SC to much applause and booty-shakin', getting a wonderful mention in the newspaper. For the first time in Sweet Tea Queens History, BSTQ could not parade, due to her recovery from plastic surgery-- ahh how "The Jar" makes things possible! TeanaLisa was the stand-in Boss Queen for the day-- and a fine one she was. Then it was off to the Tryon, NC Blue Ridge BBQ Festival! So many folks knew who we were! If they didn't know of the STQs, they knew of the Sweet Potato Queens-- and we were lovin' it every minute! We even met folks that saw us the same morning at the Mighty Moo parade! Queen Bea and TeanaDonna went over to see friends in the BBQ Competition area, while the rest of the queens snuck off to the banks of the Pacolet River for an impromptu Queenly Baptism!  After the BBQ fest, we gathered again at Sans Simoleans for pizza. What a day!

It was like deja vu a second time when the STQs got up in front of the stage at the Relay For Life and boogied-down to Rock & Roll Reunion, the same band they go-go'ed for at the Spring Fling! The queens, along with Sam Maw,  presented  the Relay folks the check from the money earned at the Fling. With the duties of the event having been done, they had their usual fun.

The Spartanburg  Spring Fling has become our verah own Jackson. Queen Bea and BSTQ were part of the planning for the whole event in downtown Sparkle City this year, while TeanaLisa was our liaison to The Relay For Life. The results were beyond expectations! We raised over twice as much money as last year! The Relay folks were ecstatic.  Sam the Beacon Man got great exposure and the Queens just showed the world what Queenliness is all about!
 
Jackson was fab again this year. We brought along Parade Virgins Queen Bea, TeanaDonna and TeanaNicole. One of the highlights was the Fountain Party in the lobby of the Clarion. The weather was wonderful, AND we debuted the new (to us) STQ Hussy Bus! After doing all we could to Jackson, we took off south through Blues Country for Nawlins for a whirlwind tour of the Big Easy. But not before we traversed the 100 mile bayou bridge in Loosiana where the urge to "go" was overwhelming. BSTQ flashed a shrimper while heeding the call of nature along side the road. We met up with "The Heir" and walked Bourbon St. The next morning we ate beniets and headed home. BSTQ and Queen Bea with Mr. Tea and the QITs along, visited White Oak nursing home on 1/22 and dee-lighted the residents. While the ladies were cheered and amused, the menfolk were VERAH glad to see us, too!

The Official STQ Photo Session and Mall Invasion and Book Store Suck-up happened on the weekend of 1/17-19. We all sashayed around town and had a beautimous time!

 WAITAMINIT!! What happened to Jill's book signing at Malaprop's in Asheville?? CANCELLED!! Weather was the official reason-- but them charging a $5 admission got Jill's man Kyle pissed off big time-- we could tell!

If they have a parade, we will come. Well, we will -- especially if we're asked! That's what the organizers of the Chesnee Christmas Parade did. The regular parade got cancelled by the town merchants (what Scrooges!), so the kids of Chesnee Elementary School had one. A HUGE success, we might add!

Our second Spartanburg Christmas Parade on 11/29 was a shivering success!! It was 30 degrees out there! And all that exposed bosomage! We wowed 'em, tho. The crowds loved us! Don't miss our latest movie from the parade!

The Miss America party weekend with an impromptu parade through downtown Sparkle City, Cheesie TeaCake representin' the sistahs at the Beauty and the Beach party at the Redneck Riviera, the International Festival , Mall Invasion, Queen Bea and her "bear fetish"-- it goes on and on. 

A bunch of us converged in Columbia for TeanaChris' burfday par-tay on 9/7, making stops at the local ho stos and BOB shoppes along the way. After a cookout, a giant laff-fest was had by all! Welcome  to our newest members!

We've been lollin' lately in this column and haven't mentioned names recently! Cheesecakequeen to be known ever forth as TeaCake signed on after the Gatlinburg weekend. Queen Bea came aboard this summer, as did TeanaJanice! New blood! More distasteful than ever!!

Goot Gawd!! The Great Gatlinburg weekend was a par-tay!! Dubbed the Mint Tea weekend by some, we overcame much adversity to party our butts off in the hills! BSTQ got her tattoo embellished,  while others went off to the outlet malls. Sattidy nite was a street party! The queens were worshipped by the loyal subjects of Gatlinburg in a most royal fashion. Sunday it was Big Bacon Breakfast Buffet time and then MORE SHOPPING!!

The S.C. Peach Festival  was everything a Queen could ask for! A great crowd, wonderful Press Coverage, and our own personal security stud! Turns out, the Gaffney, SC newspaper ran a huge article on us, naming us the featured act of the parade. We upstaged Ronnie Millsap! Poor thang, he'll get over it! Then we took the Death Defying Float Ride to the Outlet Mall aka the "Yaller Mall" due to its pallor, where the love-starved security stud, went shopping with us, giving us personal suggestions on skimpy clothes and even step-n-fetchin' for us!! And then that night, the local TV media showed us for all to see! Oh, how we swoon!

Our own TeanaLisa was interviewed on a radio station in her hometown of Freeport, IL recently! The local folks couldn't get enough of that Southern charm! The River 95.9 FM gushed all over the vivacious Lisa, who's queenliness was so overwhelming, they covered her in free drink 'cuzzi's!

Check us out in the July issue of Travel & Leisure magazine! In an article about North Caroilna, they feature a photo with our float in the background and a mention of us in the text!

Moo! Moo! Moo! A small but devoted group of STQs came out for the Mighty Moo parade and festival in Cowpens on 6/15. One bystander was so overcome by the sparklyness that he threw prizes to the Queens!

It was Queenly bliss at the First Queens Secret Ball on May 17th at the newly opened JavaJive Discotheque in Sparkle City. Kacey Jones played for 2 hours to a delighted crowd. "Ritas and Chococate Stuff were flowing like....'Ritas and Chocolate Stuff!! The next morning we paraded amongst the legions of Shriner's in Duncan, SC , flinging beads along the way. Our many Queenly guests were along for the ride and lovin' it! THEN, BSTQ spoke to the Shriner wimmen at their convention. She coronated the Potentate's wife and delighted the crowd. WHEW! What a weekend!

The Spartanburg Spring Fling on 5/5 was TeanaJanice's virgin outing with us. She sure knows how to come on strong! She's gonna be a GOOD one, we can just tell! We flang tea and danced our lil' butts off! And the paparazzi! How they love us! Hee!Hee! Oh, Jackson!

Our virgin trip to SPQ Mecca will be fondly remembered as time goes on. We met so many of y'all that we had known only through the SPQ Messageboard of Love. Hey, y'all, let's do it again! 

A bunch of us went down to the capitol city of Columbia to see none other than HRH Jill at a book fair on 2/23. A pleasant little jaunt, indeed. Afterwards we rifled through the unmentionables at Frederick's of Hollywood.

The Boss Queen put a little Queenly mojo on Mr. Tea at Concord Mills mall in Charlotte on 1/19. She and Miss Tea were tryin' to convince Mr. Tea to whip out the Visa and pony up for a new humongous tiara, gettin' all suck-up like and stuff.  "I'm persuaded", said BSTQ's consort.

"Tell her to STOP THAT DANCING!", say the Belk security suits. BSTQ went for a MAC cosmetics Queenly makeover, Madonna was playin' on the stereo, and, well, the biddies couldn't stand it.

Again we meet up with Jill and Donna, but this time in Tryon, NC, just up the mountain. The La-La Queens from Lake Lure were there, too. BSTQ had her newest toy-- the Plastic Surgery Fund Jar-- like the ones y'all see in the convenience store for orphans and such. The Tryon Daily Bulletin, the world's Smallest Daily Newspaper, puts us on the front page! Oh, how we love the media!

The Okra Strut parade was a huge success in Irmo, SC. At the end, a woman rides up to us, rolls down the window and screams, "DISTASTEFUL!! YOU'RE DISTASTEFUL!!" TeanaJerri, quick on the uptake, calls back "Thank You!" . Later, a little girl sees BSTQ and, pointing, shouts "BARBIE!!!"

Our FIRST parade!!! Our official outfits!!! Coon Dog Days in Saluda, NC will never be the same. We got on top of Teana Heather's Beloved Consort's flatbed trailer, dressed it all up and wowed the crowd! "Look at those WOMEN!, "the announcer called, "Look at those women DANCE!" While most of the procession went through the driveway of the local nursing home, they diverted us (snicker). Then, if that wasn't enough-- we meet up with Tammie Donna-- Jill's Right Hand Queen. She gives BSTQ a genuine SPQ tiara and our Official Chapter Certificate!

Calling All SPQ Wannabes: Where? Hickory Tavern in Spartanburg. Why? For the HECK of it! And they came. New Queens Teana Jerri (All the way from Augusta!), Teana Chris (from Columbia!), Miss Tea, and Teana Sandra. We're ready-- watch out world!
Jill was coming to Charlotte, the SPQ website said. BSTQ was there with "belles on"! She met up with Leslie, a friend from Greenville, and converged on the Barnes & Noble on Charlotte's south side. Jill and the others arrived in a pink Cadillac and it was fabulous.

What do we DO now that we're Queens? We go and see the Boss Queen of EVERYTHING, of course! Jill Conner Browne THE Sweet Potato Queen was coming to our hometown--l'il ol' Spartanburg. Carolyn (to be henceforth known as BSTQ-- as in Boss Sweet Tea Queen) and Teana Heather hightailed it to Pic-A-Book, our local hometown bookstore and there she was! Jill!!! It was divine. By golly we ARE going to Jackson for the Million Queen March, no matter what!

Where do you begin when you want to be a Queen? You form a chapter of the Sweet Potato Queens, that's how. You read The Book, you discover The Attitude and you strut your stuff. So Carolyn, self-proclaimed Boss Queen of the Sweet Tea Queens starts a chapter in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She gets a green prom dress from Goodwill and she meets up with Heather, a like-minded individual. So begins the Sweet Tea Queens.

 

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