Kudzu Queen pageant
Kudzu Queen pageants were competitions used to promote kudzu in the Southern United States.[1][2][3]
History
[edit]After the introduction of kudzu in the United States, it was widely promoted in the South during the 1930s to provide ground cover and replenish the soil.[4] Kudzu festivals were sponsored, often including pageants were held where young women competed to win the title of "Kudzu Queen".[5][6] Kudzu queens were elected in Auburn, Alabama,[4] and Greensboro, Alabama.[7] By the 1950s, kudzu came to be seen as invasive and harmful,[8] and the pageants stopped being held.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Finch, Bill. "The True Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Never Truly Ate the South". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ "History and Use of Kudzu in the Southeastern United States". Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ Gibson, Lydialyle (2013-07-22). "Kudzu Takes Root in Southern Culture". Our State. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ a b DiLisio, James E. (2019-04-05). Maryland: A Geography. Routledge. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-429-70424-6.
- ^ Cobb, James C. (2010-01-25). Georgia Odyssey. University of Georgia Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-8203-3509-4.
- ^ Taylor, Barbara Brown (2016-07-28). The Seeds of Heaven: Preaching the Gospel of Matthew. Canterbury Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-84825-854-9.
- ^ Melosi, Martin V.; Wilson, Charles Reagan (2014-02-01). The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 8: Environment. UNC Press Books. p. 232. ISBN 978-1-4696-1660-5.
- ^ DiLisio, James (2014-11-04). Maryland Geography: An Introduction. JHU Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-4214-1482-9.
- ^ McGehee, Larry T. (2005). Southern Seen: Meditations on Past and Present. Univ. of Tennessee Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-57233-359-8.