A Royal Legacy

By Sharon Hallack The Oceana Echo Community Columnist

A couple of years ago, I said to myself, “I should write a book for the 50th Anniversary of the National Asparagus Festival.” Well, you know what they say about life happening when you have other plans. The book hasn’t materialized yet, but stay tuned. I’d still like to write one someday.

After spending several months, researching, interviewing and writing for this year’s 50th NAF celebration, I’ve gained a new appreciation for all those who have been so instrumental in bringing the NAF to life every year over the past five decades. From the committees, queens and sponsors to the activity coordinators, farmers, participants and festival goers, each one has been instrumental in making each festival fun and memorable.

yelling, “Mrs. Asparagus?” and then bursting into laughter. Mom just kept smiling, waving, laughing, and talking to the crowd. She was in her glory, and I have to admit, I was glad she was “Mrs. Asparagus” and proud to call her my mother.

Following the parade, it was bumper-to-bumper traffic heading north out of Holland. At one point, we were waved down by another car inching along and asked, “Can we get some of those recipes?” And right there on Business 31, dad pulled closer to them so mom could hand over the requested packet.

I’ve been asked over the years if I would ever consider running for Mrs. Asparagus. While the vote of confidence is flattering, as a former Oceana County Cherry Queen, I had my share of waving from a float and greeting the public at all sorts of functions. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t share just a bit about my life as the daughter of Mrs. Asparagus 1977 Phyllis

Slocum AND the mother of Mrs. Asparagus

2011 Megan Roskam.

My mother - the Queen

I was one of the first to awaken, just like many Sunday mornings before. As I descended the stairs, looking over the banister into the dining room, on the buffet I saw a vase of red roses, a crown and a sash that spelled “Mrs. Asparagus” in green felt letters. I exclaimed to myself, “What? She won? How could this be? I was in eighth grade; she’s too old to be a queen!”

It was March 1977, the fourth year of an annual banquet and pageant to select the new Mrs. Asparagus, an ambassador for the newly-formed National Asparagus Festival. I can vaguely remember Mom making preparations for the event. I have no idea who asked her to run, however, knowing her, she probably volunteered. She looked beautiful that night, as she always did when going out. She wore a green gown she’d had altered from her college days, a white crocheted shawl and a beautifully styled wig. Yes, a wig...they were all the rage in those days.

Dad looked dapper in his pale green suit and probably would have teased her as she got ready, not in a mean way, but out of a sense of pride. My little sisters were probably giddy and excited about their mother possibly becoming a queen. I seem to remember not being too sure about the whole thing. I mean, for heaven’s sake, my twin brother and I were in junior high. What would our friends think? I’m sure we smiled and said good luck as they walked out the door, never dreaming she’d be chosen as queen.

Fast forward to May of that year. Even though we were a busy farming family, my dad agreed to pull the parade float in numerous parades that summer using a new, bright red Jeep Wagoner he’d recently purchased. The very first major event for my mom was the Holland Tulip Festival Parade. Negotiating weekend traffic, with a float in tow and through the crowded backstreets of Holland, was not for the faint of heart, but dad kept his cool.

I was embarrassed when, prior to the parade, mom knocked on someone’s door and asked if she could change into her gown. But what was she to do? There was nowhere else to change, and she met some really nice people as a result. She enjoyed the two-hour wait, greeting passersby and handing out asparagus recipes. During the parade, us kids rode in the cargo area of the vehicle and watched her through the open back window. Spectators were

I was beginning to understand what all the excitement was about. Oceana County was becoming known as the Asparagus Capital of the World. My mom’s “job” as Mrs. Asparagus was to do her very best to promote this delicious and nutritious vegetable across the state. Wearing green attire and a perfectly coiffed wig everywhere she went, she would attend a parade nearly every weekend that summer, cook an asparagus dish on the local television station, be interviewed on the local radio station, and hand out asparagus at the state capital and on the exit ramp in Hart. She would take her title all the way to New York City, when she applied for and was selected to be a contestant on the well-known game show, “To Tell the Truth”. I remember her feeling torn when she had to fly to New York for the show’s taping the same week as my 8th grade graduation. But I don’t remember being resentful that she wasn’t there. I knew that’s who my mom was, and I just remember being proud.

My daughter - The Queen

Fast forward 34 years. I was again surprised when our newly married daughter Megan announced that she was planning to run for “Mrs. Asparagus” 2011. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, she did come from a family of queens! By this time in mom’s life, she had been suffering from vascular dementia for about 10 years. With her dementia, mom remembered very little from one moment to the next. She would ask a lot of the same questions over and over. But being the fun-loving, socially adept person she’d always been, she enjoyed every minute. I was glad she was able to attend, and we were all thrilled when Megan was named queen.

I doubt she even remembered running for Mrs. Asparagus 30 years before, but it was priceless watching mom when Megan was crowned. As she was getting pictures taken, mom couldn’t stop waving, blowing kisses, clapping and telling her granddaughter how happy she was for her. As a former photographer, I think she was also telling the photographer how to pose the girls! It was a bittersweet moment.

This time, instead of questioning the honor as I did when my mother won, I was instantly proud of our daughter. It was a chance to exclaim, “She won! How exciting! I guess I’m now the mother of a queen!” I couldn’t wait to tell everyone I knew. It would be a busy year for Megan, as she participated in many of the same events her Grandma Slocum had back in 1977. Coincidentally, she was on TV too! Chef Lynn Crawford of the Canadian Food Network show “Pitchin’ In” was a guest at the 2011 festival. Her crew filmed the entire festival and later cooked a gourmet dinner at an asparagus farm in Big Rapids with Megan and several members of the committee attending (Season 3, Episode 6 of the show is available online).

So no, my book about the 50 years of the NAF didn’t get written in time to be available for this year’s festival. But in writing this column, I just might have the first chapter done. What do you think?