I’m Miss World

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Crashing Nightingale

The weekend after Labor Day weekend usually is a quiet one since most people celebrate the end of summer during the holiday weekend. Labor Day generally commemorates the end of summertime and all it’s festivities as we transition into the fall season. But Atlantic City in 1921 had no plans of engaging in any summertime blues as it planned a way to extend the summer season.

Enter the Atlantic City “beauty contests” as a way to keep the summer heat on for patrons. The plan was devised by some businessmen of the city and they organized a small beauty contest which seven cities of the Northeast United States participated. Each city sent a “beauty maid” to represent the city in the contest. This contest took place September 7-8, ninety-three years ago today. The happy winner of this 1921 contest was sixteen year-old Margaret Gorman, who represented Washington, D.C. Her prize was a golden mermaid statue and the title “Miss America.”

Many other beauty contests followed this one which in turned solidified the Miss America pageants we’re familiar with today. I love these photos of the women from this time. They are wearing beautiful pieces from the era and are natural beauties in their own way. One of my favorite photos of all the photos I’ve seen is the one below of Ruth Malcolmson, Miss America 1924. This photo is so raw and natural.

Here are some additional photos from some early beauty pageants. I love how dolled up they are in the sand and with their sashes! 🙂

And to celebrate the city that brought us these beauty contests, I’ll be watching one of my favorite shows, Boardwalk Empire, which takes place in Atlantic City. In the meantime, I’ll be practicing that perfect Miss America wave. 🙂

Photo Booths: A Box Full of Happiness

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Crashing Nightingale

There’s something magical about a photo booth. The small box that in a flash, snaps your photo and then delivers you the result. In one instant, your moment of fun is captured.

In a photo booth you can be serious, silly, sophisticated or sassy. Showcase your style or just show off. In a photo booth it’s your time to shine. When I see a photo booth, I cannot help but want to shove my money into the slot, jump in with a friend, or two, or three, and let the fun begin. Am I right or am I right?? 🙂

The history of the photo booth goes back to the late 1800s with it’s debut at the World Fair in Paris in 1889. Apparently these self-service machines were not too reliable. It wasn’t until the Jazz Age came along that the more modern-version of the photo booth was invented. With the curtain it made it’s grand appearance in New York City on Broadway. It was Anatol Josepho that brought us the photo booth that bursted onto the scene and stuck with us through the decades. Below is a picture of the inventor inside his box-o-fun.

Scouring the internet for photos from photo booths was fun all in itself. So many great vintage photos out there that document those moments in time. There are photos of people by themselves, with friends, lovers, family members, man’s best friend, service members, or perhaps even strangers. Everyone piled into a tiny box posing for the camera. People getting dressed up in their finest or maybe wearing their work attire. It’s a time people show the world their style, smile or personality. When I look at the photos I found, I can’t help but wonder what the story is behind each person in front of the camera. What were they doing that day, where they were at, who they were with. It’ll forever be a mystery and intrigue me. Perhaps this was their only means to take a professional photo or family photo. And my mind wanders to where this photo was going. In a photo album or maybe it was sent across the world to a friend or lover.

While I’m pondering these things, why don’t you check out these super awesome vintage photo booth photos ☞

Fireworks & Freedom

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Crashing Nightingale

Today is one of my favorite holidays! I love celebrating on the 4th of July for many reasons. I love hanging out in the summertime, swimming, cooking out, summertime drinks, sunny days and cool nights. There is just something extra special about July 4th that invokes fun for me. Perhaps its all the sparkles or the colors red, white and blue that bring a smile to my face.

One of the biggest monuments that represents this day is the Statue of Liberty. Lady Liberty has been watching over our nation for over 120 years. She has welcomed immigrants and visitors to the United States for over a century and is one of the biggest landmarks in the world.

She is a robed female representing the Roman goddess of freedom, Libertas. She holds a torch up high with one hand while holding a tablet in the other with the date of the American Declaration of Independence inscribed on it, July 4, 1776.

She is the product of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor. Bartholdi had the help of another famous sculptor, Gustave Eiffel, the famous designer and builder of the infamous Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

Parts of the Statue of Liberty were displayed before she was fully unveiled in America. The torch was exhibited at the 1876 world’s fair in Philadelphia where visitors could climb to the torch. Her head and bust were displayed at the 1878 Paris World’s Fair. She was dedicated on October 28, 1886 where she finally found her home in Manhattan, New York City. She was christened La Liberté éclairant le monde or Liberty Enlightening the World. She truly is the ambassador to freedom and does it well.

There are lots of symbols that represent this patriotic holiday but my favorite has to be Lady Liberty. She has held her post and position for over a century, being the most gracious host for our nation.

Whether you like to entertain with fireworks or have a more low-key celebration, I wish you lots of happiness and fun on this colorful day. Be safe and enjoy this sparkle-filled day!

Black Cats, Broken Mirrors and Ladders! Oh My!

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Crashing Nightingale

If you’re a superstitious person, I would imagine today is the day you are avoiding black cats walking in front of your path, ladders, umbrellas indoors and a myriad of other superstitious things we avoid on Friday the 13th. Or maybe you’re not but you’d partake in a Friday the 13th marathon with Mr. Voorhies just to get your kicks for the day.

I do admit, I am a little superstitious. But I’m into the strange and weird so I enjoy the fun of it mostly. I use to be a waitress and if I was cleaning a table and a salt shaker spilled over, I had to throw a little bit over my shoulder. I still do it today but it occurred, as expected, much more often working in the restaurant industry. I’m also a horror movie fan and the Friday the 13th films have always been my favorite classic horror slasher flicks.

There is only one day in the calendar year in 2014 the 13th falls on and it’s today, June 13th. In 2015 it will occur three times. So make sure you stock up on your luck for next year 🙂

For those that fear the date, they are considered Paraskevidekatriaphobic (Go to NPR’s link for pronunciation). Then there are those that consider the fear of this date to be quite ridiculous and so silly that there was a group of Chicago businessmen that formed the Anti-Superstition Society of Chicago in the early 1940s. These gentlemen had more of a fun time with Friday the 13th instead of fearing it. Life magazine documented their jolly event to show the world these men were not afraid of any black cats or crossing under any ladders.

Below is how Life magazine explained the meeting in their January 6, 1941 issue:

At 6:13 p.m. on Friday, the 13th of December, 169 audacious and irreverent gentlemen sat down to dine at 13 tables in Room 13 of the Merchants & Manufacturers Club of Chicago. Each table seated 13. Upon each rested an open umbrella, a bottle of bourbon and 13 copies of a poem called The Harlot. The speaker’s table was strewn with horseshoes, old keys, old shoes, mirrors and cardboard black cats. Before it reposed an open coffin with 13 candles. The occasion was the 13th Anniversary Jinx-Jabbing Jamboree and Dinner of the Anti-Superstition Society of Chicago … [which] meets regularly on Friday the 13th. (There have been 13 Friday the 13th’s in the last eight years.) Behind the ribaldry of its recurrent dinners lies the very sound thesis that superstition annually costs this country an inexcusable sum of time and money. People postpone trips because of mirrors and cats. Businessmen defer decisions because of calendrical coincidences.

To combat these persistent bogies, the Society has assembled much counter-evidence. According to mathematical laws of probability, one of 13 guests of different ages at any dinner party may very well die within a year. But the ratio of probability will soar even higher if 14 guests attend. One corpse out of 18 is a 50-to-50 bet.

Happy Friday the 13th Readers and remember…don’t go swimming in the lake, don’t have sex, don’t do drugs, don’t go out, don’t slip and fall in front of the killer and certainly don’t say, “I’ll be right back!” 😉

Sweet Chum O’ Mine

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Crashing Nightingale

They say laughter is the best medicine. Well I believe best friends are the fountain of youth because I can’t help but have the best time when I’m around my friends.

June 8th is National Best Friends day and what a wonderful day it is. Buddy, pal, chum, girlfriend, gal pal, “brother from another mother,” whatever you call your best friend, celebrate the day that is dedicated to your friendship. I don’t know about you but I consider my close friends like family. They know just as much, if not more, about me than a family member.

Best friends come in all forms: male, female and let’s not forget our furry friends. Sometimes we even marry our best friends, which is how I feel about my husband. A best friend can be someone you’re related to or not; as sometimes those that aren’t are just as much blood-related as those that are. They are our “partners in crime,” the one that stands by our sides through thick-and-thin. We acquire friends in various ways and times in our lives. At times I have met someone who then becomes my friend and I think, “Where have you been all this time?” I feel as though I’ve known them all my life.

I hold my friendships dear to my heart and don’t know how I’ve gotten through life without them. They’ve been there when I needed someone to listen, give me advice or just let me vent. Through the fun times and the tough times they’ve held my hand. We experience life with them, sometimes doing things we’d never do on our own. They bring out the best in us. Time just flies when you’re hanging out with your best friend or friends. They put a smile on our face and define the phrase, “good times.” They make our hearts swell with love and delight.

I’ve had many great adventures with friends and some great conversations. Pondering and questioning life or pushing the limits that we encounter. I can’t wait to look back at the end of my life and reminiscence on the fun times I’ve had with all my best friends. They pick us up when we’re down, keep a smile on our face and are usually our saving grace from any madness we encounter. We share our lives with them and they share theirs. They are the instant cure for the blues. Don’t you just love hanging out with your best pal and saying, “Remember when…..”

They are in hundreds of photos as we capture the moments that have brought us closer together and what made us best buddies in the first place. They celebrate with us our milestones and are by our side during our setbacks. They are our therapist and sometimes we must think they hold telepathic powers as it seems you can just look at your best friend and you both know what each other are thinking. Even our pups are called “man’s best friend.”

So celebrate the day, June 8th, that is dedicated to a person or animal that brings joy into your life. I know I will be 🙂