The 45th Vardaman Sweet Potato Queen will be crowned this Thursday night. Vardaman native Kathy Tedder Beasley, of Taylor, was the first ever crowned and said today’s pageant is a little different than the one she remebers 44 years ago.
“The pageant of my day was a far cry from the pageants today,” Beasley said. “We didn’t have fancy pageant dresses and all of the training girls have today. It was an honor though to be crowned Queen for the first festival.”
Beasley was raised in Vardaman the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Tedder.
Nov. 14, 1974 – Miss Kathy Tedder, center, was crowned National Sweet Potato Queen at the first annual festival in Vardaman last week. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Tedder. First alternate is Miss Robin Roberts, left, daughter of Mrs. Glenda Roberts. Miss Carol Parker, right, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Boyd Parker, was named 2nd alternate. The contest which was held in the Gymtorium attracted around 600 people. Mrs. Gwin Winter was the emcee for the contest.
“There weren’t many pageants around during this time. I actually think this was the first one I had been in as an older girl,” she said. “My mother put me in them when I was little but I cried so she stopped. I was much more comfortable on the basketball court than on stage. The only other one I was in later was the Miss Calhoun County Pageant.”
Beasley said she has great memories from her youth in Vardaman, especially of this very week.
“I remember a group of young kids with no adult chaperones trick-or-treating from one side of town to the other,” she said. “The adults would invite us in for hot chocolate and we got wonderful homemade treats. It was a blessing to grow up in a safe place with such caring people. When I reached seventh grade, basketball became the focus of my next six years. Even at this age I still miss playing that game.”
Beasley said among the activities surrounding that first Sweet Potato Festival she most remembers was the football game.
“I remember that we had the Sweet Potato Bowl,” she said. “The activities were on a much smaller scale than today, but I remember how hard Mr. Billy Paul (Spencer) and others worked to make it a special event.”
After being crowned queen, Beasley said she remembers riding in Christmas parades and attending some ribbon cuttings for businesses.
Kathy Beasley
Over the past four decades, the festival has grown exponentially, which Beasley said is no surprise.
“Even though we started out small, I am not a bit surprised that it is bigger and still going strong 45 years later. The people who started it had a vision, and people from Vardaman have always been willing to work for the betterment of the community,” she said. “That hard work is still evident today.”
“My favorite thing about going back is running into old friends I haven’t seen in years. It is also fun to look at all the booths and crafts. Answering these questions makes me realize I need to go back much more often. It has brought back memories of many wonderful people that had a part in my life.”