Photos by Tommy & Nancy Brannon
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Beauty abounded at the 2016 annual Germantown Charity Horse Show (GCHS) Royal Ball on March 18th at Woodland Hills in Cordova, Tennessee. The 2016 Royal Court, including the Queen and twenty Princesses, were the focus of the evening’s debutant celebration.
The theme of this year’s ball was Brigadoon, complete with bagpiper J. Stephen Sanders. Legend has it that through an arrangement with God, Brigadoon and its denizens appear for one day every 100 years, and then disappear into the mist in a dreamlike sleep to wait for a century to pass before then can appear again. At the Royal Ball, guests could imagine the princesses appearing out of the fog as they were escorted down the stairs and officially presented, all to music from a Germantown Symphony quartet.
Virginia Walker, 2016 Horse Show President, welcomed guests to the ball and introduced Master of Ceremonies Alex Livesay, who described the accomplishments of each princess as they were presented.
The 2016 horse show Queen is Alison Jo Slott, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Michael Slott. Alison has been competing at ‘A’ rated hunter jumper shows and during her senior year in high school, qualified for both the USEF Medal Finals and the ASPCA Maclay Finals. She was a member of the University of Alabama equestrian team, which is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). She currently competes in the Low and High Amateur Owner Jumpers on her horse Loui.
Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo read a proclamation from the City of Germantown honoring Alison Slott as the 2016 horse show Queen. Then Alison and her dad had the first father-daughter dance of the night.
Dinner followed the presentation ceremonies, and as the rhythm and blues band played on, guests, young and old, could “dance the night away.”
The Royal Ball is prelude to the GCHS, which runs June 7-11, 2016. This marks the 69th year of the largest all-breed show in the mid-south. The charity beneficiary of the show is the Exchange Club Family Center, whose mission is to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect by replacing abusive and violent behavior with effective parenting skills. The show attractions national talent and features the $15,000 Welcome Stakes and the grand finale – the $25,000 Germantown Grand Prix. In addition to a wide array of hunter/jumper classes, there are carriage driving classes, Gypsy Vanners and the feathered horses divisions, American Saddlebred classes, light shod Tennessee Walking horses, and the ever-popular speed racking classes. This year the show welcomes a Ladies' Sidesaddle Division. There will be fun classes, such as the costume class and the Pyramid Vodka Smooth Ride Challenge. Each day of the show offers one or more hospitality events for exhibitors and patrons. Those with box seats set up their week-long home-away-from-home with flowers, tables, candelabra, and tablecloths – all spread with delicious gourmet food for dinner at the show grounds. Find more information at: http://gchs.org/ and on their facebook page: Germantown Charity Horse Show.
[View More Photos]
Beauty abounded at the 2016 annual Germantown Charity Horse Show (GCHS) Royal Ball on March 18th at Woodland Hills in Cordova, Tennessee. The 2016 Royal Court, including the Queen and twenty Princesses, were the focus of the evening’s debutant celebration.
The theme of this year’s ball was Brigadoon, complete with bagpiper J. Stephen Sanders. Legend has it that through an arrangement with God, Brigadoon and its denizens appear for one day every 100 years, and then disappear into the mist in a dreamlike sleep to wait for a century to pass before then can appear again. At the Royal Ball, guests could imagine the princesses appearing out of the fog as they were escorted down the stairs and officially presented, all to music from a Germantown Symphony quartet.
Virginia Walker, 2016 Horse Show President, welcomed guests to the ball and introduced Master of Ceremonies Alex Livesay, who described the accomplishments of each princess as they were presented.
The 2016 horse show Queen is Alison Jo Slott, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Michael Slott. Alison has been competing at ‘A’ rated hunter jumper shows and during her senior year in high school, qualified for both the USEF Medal Finals and the ASPCA Maclay Finals. She was a member of the University of Alabama equestrian team, which is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). She currently competes in the Low and High Amateur Owner Jumpers on her horse Loui.
Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo read a proclamation from the City of Germantown honoring Alison Slott as the 2016 horse show Queen. Then Alison and her dad had the first father-daughter dance of the night.
Dinner followed the presentation ceremonies, and as the rhythm and blues band played on, guests, young and old, could “dance the night away.”
The Royal Ball is prelude to the GCHS, which runs June 7-11, 2016. This marks the 69th year of the largest all-breed show in the mid-south. The charity beneficiary of the show is the Exchange Club Family Center, whose mission is to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect by replacing abusive and violent behavior with effective parenting skills. The show attractions national talent and features the $15,000 Welcome Stakes and the grand finale – the $25,000 Germantown Grand Prix. In addition to a wide array of hunter/jumper classes, there are carriage driving classes, Gypsy Vanners and the feathered horses divisions, American Saddlebred classes, light shod Tennessee Walking horses, and the ever-popular speed racking classes. This year the show welcomes a Ladies' Sidesaddle Division. There will be fun classes, such as the costume class and the Pyramid Vodka Smooth Ride Challenge. Each day of the show offers one or more hospitality events for exhibitors and patrons. Those with box seats set up their week-long home-away-from-home with flowers, tables, candelabra, and tablecloths – all spread with delicious gourmet food for dinner at the show grounds. Find more information at: http://gchs.org/ and on their facebook page: Germantown Charity Horse Show.
