Childhood classics come to life at fairy tale show
Published 12:43 pm Monday, February 18, 2019
By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer
Colorful displays, games and treats made the Jemison Library Fairy Tale Show a success on Feb. 15.
New for this year were a performance by the Jemison High School Dance Line, the Book Nook selling used books and Old Town Eatery selling food.
All the efforts were to raise funds for the library. While an annual event, this year was extra special because the Jemison Library is preparing to move out of city hall into a building of its own.
Jemison Librarian Tammie McGriff said the turnout was “great.” She said she was happy this year many of those who wanted to participate with an activity area contacted her rather than her having to go find people who could participate.
“We loved having the dance line,” McGriff said. “They were excited to come.”
She said she enjoys the whole event and was glad Mr. and Mrs. Jemison Clyde and Sara Northcutt were able to attend as well.
As far as fairy tales go, Cinderella is a favorite for McGriff.
Cheryl English of Jemison Library said she enjoys dressing up for the event.
“My favorite fairy tale is ‘Three Billy Goats Gruff,’” English said.
She said she would get hoarse doing the character voices reading the story to her children when they were young.
“A great crowd has turned out again this year,” Jemison Councilman Rex Bittle said. “We really appreciate your support … all the costumes look fantastic.”
Chilton/Clanton Public Library Director Savannah Kitchens said sales were steady throughout the night for the Book Nook.
“We are really trying to contribute to the new library and all the things that go into that,” Kitchens said. “It’s a big project, and we want to do our part to help as much as possible. We are really excited about it … We are thrilled that the city is investing in the library like this.”
Selling old books from the library and duplicates is making room for new books and books from grants that the library system secured last year.
“We buy new books every single month,” Kitchens said. “We are trying to update the collection, make sure there is something for everybody.”
Several local queens and community groups hosted activity areas during the event. The Relay for Life Queens, dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz, handed out balloons to children that attended.
Miss Relay for Life Katelyn Kim, who portrayed Dorothy, said the girls “brainstormed our ideas together.”
“We decided to give out balloons because we thought it would be fun for all the little kids, since Glenda came in on a bubble,” Junior Miss Relay Kerragan Traywick said.
Traywick said she wanted to be the Tin Man because of the shiny, silver costume.
Little Miss Carly Elise McKee said her blonde hair matched Glenda’s, so it was a good character for her to be. Carly also likes pink, which was the color of the costume.
“We made all of our decorations, and we spray painted the castle,” Kim said.
She said she had also participated in the event as Junior Miss Relay. Kim said she enjoys dressing up as favorite characters, talking to everyone and seeing all of the children enjoying the event.
Junior Miss Swedish Festival Ana Nunn, who was dressed as one of the stepsisters, said they chose Cinderella because it was a story children would be able to relate to.
She said the story encourages them to “have courage and be kind, which is something we all need to do.”
Nunn said she enjoyed meeting new people at the event.
The Peach Queens chose “Charlotte’s Web” as their theme. It has been Miss Peach Queen Zoey Collum’s idea. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend because she had the flu.
“We were trying to pick something that hadn’t been done, something out of the box,” Junior Miss Peach Mattie Woodall said.
The Miss Chilton County Queens chose their theme for similar reasons.
“We chose Dr. Seuss because it is not your typical fairy tale and it is something that a lot of people can connect to boys and girls,” Miss Chilton County Averie Beth Porter as Fox in Socks said. “It’s something you can do a lot with, and it’s fun and it’s out there. I think Dr. Seuss is a great role model.”
Junior Miss YMCA Hannah Strohmer-Hill said they chose Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs because they could portray dwarfs that fit their personalities. She was Sleepy.
“I like to see the little kids faces light up when they get candy,” Strohmer-Hill said.