The crown atop the hat of Miss Rodeo Tennessee tells the world she proudly represents her volunteer state as she promotes the sport of rodeo within her homeland and across America.
There was a time when the early Miss Rodeo Tennessee queens did not have an official crown, until the rhinestone crown became the standard hat topper for many rodeo queens in the 1980s and 1990s.
Miss Rodeo Tennessee 1999 Kati Langston is the only queen to have worn a rhinestone version of the crown and then, mid-year switched to the current silver crown design, manufactured by Maynard Buckles of Thoreau, NM.
While the rhinestone crown reflected the stage and arena spotlight beautifully, the silver crown became favored for its durability and lighter weight.
The current design of the Miss Rodeo Tennessee crown features the state flag emblem – the three stars that represent the three major sections of the state of Tennessee, including the west, middle and east. This theme is repeated in the custom buckle worn by Miss Rodeo Tennessee as well.
Also, the crown features a small, Tennessee-shaped silver clasp binding the two flexible bands together on the back of the hat.
The Miss Rodeo Tennessee crown is a perpetual item that is passed down from queen-to-queen year after year. It is only out of service a brief period of time between the annual Miss Rodeo America Pageant and the start of the new year for cleaning and repair.
It’s always a breathtaking moment for a new Miss Rodeo Tennessee to wear the crown for the first time, and it becomes a memory to cherish the rest of her life.
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Where Are They Now? DeAnne Fontenot Royer Miss Louisiana 1991 History of the Crown: Miss Rodeo South Dakota »
