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FRANK CHASE
Chief Executive, Central Indiana Council,
Boy Scouts of America
iMb?
"«
"Ladies and gentlemen . . . her
Majesty, the Queen!" And so it begins ... a whirlwind of activities including parties, luncheons, dinner,
the golf tournament, the Mayor's
breakfast, the Coronation Ball and
the climax . . . the Parade.
No Broadway production could be
more exciting . . . more dazzling . . .
more glittering than the annual
"500" Festival held each May pre-
ding the Indianapolis Motor Speed-
ay 500-Mile Race on Memorial Day.
Presiding with regal dignity over
Festival events is her majesty the
Queen and her court of four princesses, always presenting a breathtaking spectacle of grace and beauty.
Each year the 33 directors of the
"500" Festival Board nominate 33
unmarried young ladies between the
ages of 18 and 22.
A luncheon is given in honor of
the young princesses and for board
members and wives or husbands
early in April. Judges select a court
of five from the symbolic 33. One
week later a formal dinner is held
for the court of five accompanied by
their board-member sponsors.
Judges then select a queen from this
court.
Throughout the queen selection,
strict interpretation of the rules and
careful supervision of activities of
e princesses, have elevated the
oosing of a queen to a high plane.
On both occasions when the princesses meet the board members dur-
ing selection, the judges are known
to one person . . . the Festival board
^
Grace, Beauty and Poise Needed
to Qualify as "500" Queen
■«<o.
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&9
33 beautiful ladies are named . . . but only one is chosen.
chairman. Judges are always instructed by the Festival president to
make their choice on grace, poise,
dignity, and beauty. Clothing has no
bearing on the selection and the princesses are not permitted to take part
in commercial activities.
The first year, Ann Lawrie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Lawrie,
1015 Cameron, Indianapolis, was selected as the first queen of the then
3-year-old Festival. Queen Ann was
a student nurse at St. Vincent's Hospital and a graduate of Sacred Heart
Central High School.
Last year Julie K. Pratt, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. T. C. Pratt, 762
North Campbell, Indianapolis, was
selected the second "500" Festival
Queen. Julie was a freshman at
Ball State College in Muncie and a
graduate of Thomas Carr Howe High
School.
7960 Queen Julie Pratt and her Court
-19-
" Throughout the fanfare of publicity photos, newsreels, and numerous public appearances Queen Julie
proved herself worthy of her title,
playing the role of royalty with dignity and beauty. This five-foot,
eight-inch brown-eyed brunette added grace and dignity to her public
appearances which included qualifications at the Speedway, the Mayor's
Breakfast, the Coronation Ball and
the Parade. Highlight of her reign
came at the Ball when she was officially crowned queen by Richard
Stackhouse, Festival president, and
opened the Grand Ball by dancing
the first dance.
The Festival queen, her court of
four princesses, the 28 other prin-
ceses, and scores of glamorous Hoosier girls dressed in formal gowns and
costumes riding the parade floats
provide a spectacle that would charm
a king. Traditionally, the Queen and
her court ride the float of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the last in
the 90-minute production, thus
bringing to a close a brief but eventful "royal reign."
If the Parade is pageantry at its
best . . . then the Festival queen
typifies royalty at its best. . . .
FRANK CHASE
Object Description
Description
| Title | page19 |
| Funding | Funding provided by The Library Fund, a fund of the Indianapolis Foundation |
| Standardized Rights Statement | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Usage Rights | Copyright 500 Festival |
| Digital Publisher | IUPUI (Campus). University Library |
| Item ID | I5F-Prgrm1961-021_page19.tif |
| Have Questions? | Contact us: digschol@iupui.edu |
| Transcript |
FRANK CHASE
Chief Executive, Central Indiana Council,
Boy Scouts of America
iMb?
"«
"Ladies and gentlemen . . . her
Majesty, the Queen!" And so it begins ... a whirlwind of activities including parties, luncheons, dinner,
the golf tournament, the Mayor's
breakfast, the Coronation Ball and
the climax . . . the Parade.
No Broadway production could be
more exciting . . . more dazzling . . .
more glittering than the annual
"500" Festival held each May pre-
ding the Indianapolis Motor Speed-
ay 500-Mile Race on Memorial Day.
Presiding with regal dignity over
Festival events is her majesty the
Queen and her court of four princesses, always presenting a breathtaking spectacle of grace and beauty.
Each year the 33 directors of the
"500" Festival Board nominate 33
unmarried young ladies between the
ages of 18 and 22.
A luncheon is given in honor of
the young princesses and for board
members and wives or husbands
early in April. Judges select a court
of five from the symbolic 33. One
week later a formal dinner is held
for the court of five accompanied by
their board-member sponsors.
Judges then select a queen from this
court.
Throughout the queen selection,
strict interpretation of the rules and
careful supervision of activities of
e princesses, have elevated the
oosing of a queen to a high plane.
On both occasions when the princesses meet the board members dur-
ing selection, the judges are known
to one person . . . the Festival board
^
Grace, Beauty and Poise Needed
to Qualify as "500" Queen
■« |
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