Zippity Doo Dah Parade and Jackson Trip 2011

Zippity Doo Dah Parade and Jackson Trip 2011




















The 2011 SPQ Weekend started off a little bittersweet, our Queen Spoiled Royally and Queen Em Cee could not make it at the last hour and we were forced to set off without them (sniff!sniff!). So we were Boo-Day'n the loss while at the same time bout to jump out of our panties with excitement over the very first Zippity Doo Dah Parade in Fondren, MS. The trip was uneventful save the additional passenger which RUDELY hitched a ride from Queen New Wave, Queen LeauxLa and Queen Hell N. Heels--a wasp, who summarily found itself ass-phyxiated by huge amounts of hair products which took its little self right on up to wasp-heaven before it had a chance to think "What the heydehoo??" It's a shame it did not get away to tell its other insect friends the tale so they would be forewarned, cause Berry Queens, like Boy-Scouts, come prepared!!!!

Upon getting to the Hilton, we were surprised to be recognized by the other groups--"There go those Berry Queens!" "Aren't ya'll those Berry girls?" It was amazing how many people remembered us from last year and wanted to take our picture--since there were 34 of us dressed somewhat alike. It was a sight and ya'll would'da been sooooo proud at how we represented our membership! Our clothes, our hair and our attitudes weren't anything BUT fabulous, as all Berry Queens are apt to be! Anyhoo--here are my reflections of the weekend, hope you enjoy...

First and foremost, there was a lot of zebra print--at one point a woman remarked "Man--a lot of zebras had to give up their lives so that this weekend could happen." Our first night there we gathered in the entrance of the Hilton to hear Kacey Jones--who sang her kewt heart out and played our favorite song "I'm Not Bitter"~probly just for us!!!! Afterwards, we rocked it out to the Bouffants well into the night and they were AWESOME!!!!!! We wore our aqua shirts and tutus and zebra print accoutrements and we looked precious, ya'll! We met up with The Black Eyed Pea Queens from New Orleans and they want to come to our ball as did The Breaux Bridge Big Butt Queens. I also met up with the Arkansas Toad Suck Queens and their Head Boss asked me how many of us there were. "Over 70 total," I told her proudly. "Lord, I only have 11 and I'm bout to pull my hair out!!!" said she. "Well, hunny," I told her, "You need to get you some new queens! Mine are WUNDERFUL and give me NO trouble atall!!!!!" After all the festivities, as I was wondering around upstairs, a woman approached me and said---“I would know you if you had your wig on!” I can honestly say that that was a first for me.

Our door decorations turned out kewt as pie, though we got no prizes--the girls who used toilet seats won the $$$$--who knew a toilet seat could be a door decoration!?! But, unfortunately, we paid the price for decorating because several of us got badly burned by hot glue--ourown Queen DIVA Doc got a burn that suspiciously resembled a playboy bunny--everybody agreed that if you were going to have a burn--that was at least a neat one! Mine just looked like a blob and hurt like a sumabeach! Some of the BQ's (the more "experienced" group) went back up to the rooms after midnight to shoot the bull, while another group (the "less experienced" girls) went out to a local establishment and rode a bull--a mechanical one to be exact. One of the queens that went and rode told her hubby once she got back and all he wanted to know was did she make it the full 8 seconds!!!!?????!!!! Nobody did anything embarrassing and they were such a hit at the bull riding place that the band asked them onstage to join in on a few numbers and made them honorary "Security". Geaux queens! The only downside to our night was that many of the queens wig caps turned out to be “crotchless”—they had big old holes right in the middle. I have only recently learned about the crotchless panty as a result of trying to find black fishnet stockings in a pinch. I exhausted all possibilities in New Iberia and was forced to go into the S-E-X shop on Center Street. The paraphernalia ‘hangin’ to the left upon entrance had me soooo flustered as did the THOUGHT that someone might see me in that place that I could not concentrate on what I was doing enough except to spot some tights and yank them up and get on out of there. Upon getting home, I realized that my fishnet stockings were FULL BODY and crotchless—which rendered them useless to me for the weekend and I WAS NOT GOING BACK THERE—no sir-ee, Bob—or whatever
S-E-X shop boy’s name is (besides PERV)!!!!! Anyhoo—I asked some of the queens what one did with full body fishnets and they suggested I give them to the Goodwill—“ARE Ya’ll CRAZY! They have cameras in that place and somebody who knows me would see me dropping those things off!!!!! So, the lesson from me, my queenly sisters, is order your fishnets ahead of time and Be Particular!!!!!!!

Saturday, dressed in our sequined finest, we headed with our zebra hats and go-go boots into Fondren to the street festival and shopping expedition where we ate at Babalu's restaurant--an EXCELLENT Mexican place. My wonder woman boots were a big hit and I found some very queenly things to bring home! The food was excellent, so most of us went back to our rooms to rest after our lunch there. Queen Goodwill came later on the bus to Fondren from visiting with her mama'nem and we were already gone--the people in Fondren took one look at her in her BQ getup and said, "Hey Berry Queen--you're LATE!" Bless their hearts! We filled up almost an entire bus going back and forth--a plethera of Berry Queens--the largest group of all the groups in Jackson for SPQ!!! We hung out at the festival with none other than "kiltboy" or Randall Wallace--for those of ya'll who know--he directed BRAVEHEART, PEARL HARBOR, and SECRETARIAT, among others. He was in Lafayette filming for Secretariat and broke three ribs, poor thing! He was a delight and took his picture with many of us! He ain't Mathew MCconoughy, but he certainly wasn't hard on the eyes and seemed especially fond of us Berries, as was Lance Romance, who was caught trying to smooch on one of our own and wanted to come to our ball, but he will have to behave if he does! We can't have some big old Asian guy walking around smooching on everyone at the ball, for heaven's sake! Ya'll may say it's just flirting, but like my mama says, "Flirting is just cheating's second cousin!!!"

We lounged around most of the day until it was time to go to the night parade and we found us a cozy place on a hill to sit and watch the festivities and it was GREAT! Soooooooo much better than downtown Jackson and the people of Fondren were FUUUUUUUN! They seemed very excited to have us there and fawned and groveled overlymuch, which we all LUVed. I must admit that due to my “Aunt Flo” making her appearance the day I left for Jackson and my lack of sleep—I was a bit “cranky” after waking up from my afternoon nap. At one point, I was walking down the hall and somebody said something to me, whereupon I turned and said, “Either I am in a VERY BAD MOOD or everybody on the 8th floor has suddenly turned into a SMART-Ahyes!” Queen Hell N. Heels was quick to inform me that yes—indeed-everyone on the 8th floor was indeed a smart-ahyes. So I felt a little better! By the by...I got interviewed at the parade and all the BQ's were standing in the back of me--they put it on the website for THE CLARION--It was very cool and gave us a chance to talk about IHFH!!!!!

Sunday, we went to the Bathrobe Brunch and Jill Conner Browne made us laugh and cry all at the same time and after singing "Never Wear Panties to a Party" and hugging all our new and old friends, we loaded up and headed home--happy and contented, since we were full up with pig candy and cheese grits! It was a hail of a weekend girls--and if you weren't able to come this year--put it on your calendar (last weekend in March) and come with us in 2012!!!! Ya'll can see all kinds of photos on Facebook from the queens who went! For those of ya'll planning on going next year, please note--even if I am all by my lonesome--I WILL be walking in next year's parade!!!!!! Nobody is going to keep the BQ's on the sidelines again next year, hunnies! We are going to BE SEEN!

Take care and LUV'n Royally, Queen de Bling