Posted 12:27 pm Monday, August 17, 2009
It's Back To School After A Summer of Rose Festival Activities
By MAEGAN McGOWEN
Staff Writer
The dresses are made and the queen and her court have spent hours practicing -- now it's just a matter of working out the details for the 2009 Texas Rose Festival.
Staff Writer
The dresses are made and the queen and her court have spent hours practicing -- now it's just a matter of working out the details for the 2009 Texas Rose Festival.
"We've been working diligently on the coronation set, finalizing the music and making sure we have everything in line as far as the music rights are concerned," Julie Ischy, Executive Director of the Texas Rose Festival Association, said. "Our work here definitely hasn't slowed down."
The next step is the actual event itself, she said, and pulling everything together.
"I think the parade is what I'm most looking forward to," she said. "There's so much excitement, and about that time I'm getting delirious because I'm constantly working, so I can almost relax."
With the bands, the floats and all the excited people, the parade "sums up in one event what the festival is all about," she said.
With so much to do, Mrs. Ischy tries not to worry, but if she does, the volunteers are there to step in.
"They are pretty amazing," she said. "They follow up on everything, making sure we've got the little detail things right."
Queen Emily Austin is headed back to Southern Methodist University in a few weeks and is excited for school to start.
"I'm so ready to get back to Dallas," she said. "I keep sneaking away every chance that I can."
As a sophomore, Ms. Austin organized her schedule to accommodate balancing Rose Festival and classes.
"I'm only taking 13 hours this semester because there's no way I can do more," she said. "I just e mailed my professors last week because some of them won't let me go for the Rose Festival and some will -- some will give me zeros, and some will be nice!"
Looking back on her busy summer, her favorite memories include working on the Habitat for Humanity women's build with the Rose Court and summer practices.
"We ran through the whole coronation, and everyone from out of town came," she said. "We had had a few parties, got to meet everybody, and all the duchesses got matched up with their escorts. It was kind of like the dating game!"
Practices went pretty smoothly, she said, and she's confident the coronation will be a great experience.
"We had so much fun with each other and getting to know everybody," she said. "And they finished my dress, right in time for the rehearsal."
She's most excited about the tea and seeing old friends and family.
"That's when all the kids from my old school, All Saints, get to come," she said. "And this year, it's the unveiling of the dress and all my family is coming in."
Duchess of the Rose Growers Callie Worthen is also headed back to school as a sophomore at Tyler Junior College.
"I'm taking 17 hours this semester, so I'm going to be very busy," she said. "I'm not sure how I'm gong to balance it! It's going to be a lot of work."
Her excitement for the Rose Festival is mixed a few butterflies, she said.
"The only thing I'm really nervous about is the coronation," she said. "I'm going to try not to fall on stage or anything," she laughed.
With her dress completed, Ms. Worthen was able to practice during the dress rehearsal, and said it was quite a different experience than wearing regular clothes.
"When I put it on, I had a lot more to work with and a few things to work out," she said. "It's completely different when you actually put on the dress."
So far, the nerves haven't gotten to Ms. Austin, but there will be a time when someone might need to remind her to breathe, she said.
"I'm really looking forward to the coronation and getting to see everyone's dresses with such detail," she said. "The whole ceremony and the presentation of the dresses is so much fun. It's awesome."
