Apple Blossom Cotillion Applications 
Posted on 12/1/2008

HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR GIRLS:
High school senior girls in the communities served by Springfield Hospital are invited to participate in the 53rd annual Apple Blossom Cotillion.  One of them will join the select group of Apple Blossom Queens.  This special community event has become both a unique tradition and a rite of passage for area young people.  Girls and their escorts present themselves and perform with and without their escorts. They are also interviewed by a panel of judges.

The theme for this year’s production is “A Legendary Night”, featuring songs made famous by musical legends.  The master of ceremonies for the 9th consecutive year is Larry Kraft, Director of Springfield Hospital Foundation.  The co-directors of the 2009 Cotillion are Pam Church and Carrie Patch, sharing the creative reins for their 5th cotillion.

Proceeds from the event are used for college scholarships for students interested in a health care career.

Weekly rehearsals start Sunday, January 4, and culminate in the crowning of the Apple Blossom Queen and her court on Saturday, May 2 at Riverside Gymnasium in Springfield.

Applications are available at Bellows Falls, Black River, Fall Mountain, Green Mountain, Springfield, and Windsor High Schools, the Compass School, and Vermont Academy.  Applications must be received by December 10. 

For information, call Larry Kraft, Springfield Hospital Foundation, 885-7644.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN:
Elementary school children in grades Kindergarten through 4th are invited to participate in the 53rd annual Apple Blossom Cotillion.  These younger performers, always a real crowd pleaser, are introduced in couples, just like the high school participants and escorts, and they perform several singing and dancing numbers.  

The theme of this year’s Cotillion, which is on Friday and Saturday, May 1 & 2, is “A Legendary Night” featuring songs by musical legends.  The directors of the Cotillion are Carrie Patch and Pam Church.

Applicants who submit a completed application by the due date of December 10 are eligible to participate unless the number of applicants exceeds the capacity of the production.  In that case, a random public drawing will be held to determine the participants.

This year, according to Larry Kraft, Director of Springfield Hospital Foundation, and emcee of the Cotillion, “We encourage children to apply in couples – a girl and her male escort – just like the high school participants.”  If a public drawing is held to determine participants, Kraft explains, “preference will be given to children who apply as a couple.”

Parents who would like their children to participate may obtain an application form from Larry Kraft, Springfield Hospital Foundation, 885-7644, lkraft@springfieldhospital.org.