CENTENNIAL QUEEN COURT - Historical Albion Michigan

The biggest celebration Albion ever staged was the massive 1935 centennial celebration held July 1 through 7 of that year. One of the activities was the crowning of the Centennial Queen, and her court. Centennial Queen was Lucille Biggs, and runner up was Cecile Weeks, who went by the title of “Miss Columbia.” The Queen’s court consisted of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place winners, a “Miss Albion,” as well as girls from eight nearby communities.

The Queen was crowned on Wednesday, July 3. The program began with a banquet that evening at the Parker Inn, in which over 60 persons attended. Music was provided by Bill MacKay and his Ford Mountaineers of Detroit. The group then moved to the Washington Gardner High School auditorium instead of Victory Park because of inclement weather. The coronation began with the entrance of the queen’s court, with the queen marching up with a long robe behind her. The robe’s train was carried by Leota and Leona Inman. Mayor Norman H. Wiener congratulated “Miss Albion,” and a coronation ball was held in the Washington Gardner High School gymnasium. Music was provided by Gus Bohm and his nine-piece orchestra. A group of 16 pageant girls presented a ballet dance, and Chief Joe Panpoltrol, a Pottawatomie Indian from the Athens reservation, performed two songs in his native tongue.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present a special treat, provided to us from Cecile (Weeks) Fox, showing the Queen’s court. This photograph not only features local girls, but those from neighboring communities as well.

Back row, left to right: Miss concord-Barbara Butters; Miss Marshall-Helen Kraushaar; Miss Albion-Mary Bastian; Miss Litchfield-Eleanor Norris; Miss Springport-Treva Mitchell; Miss Parma-Lucille Krugman; Miss Homer-Geraldine Luke.

Front row: Miss Eaton Rapids-Agatha Miller; Miss Columbia (Albion Runner up)-Cecile Weeks; Centennial Queen Lucile Biggs; Miss Albion-Inez Smith; Miss Charlotte-Thelma Burns.

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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