Mobile is home to the Azalea Trail Maids, a court of fifty young women who represent the city as ambassadors during their senior year of high school. Every year, they appear all across the nation, representing Mobile’s diversity and success, and even march in the Disney’s Parade of Flowers! But, do you know the long history of this fabulous organization? Well, buckle up, ‘cause you’re in for quite a ride!
The Mobile Azalea Trail (Yes, it is an actual trail!) began in 1929 when the Mobile Junior Chamber of Commerce embarked on a city-wide beautification project. The idea was to plant azaleas along the streets of downtown Mobile, thus earning Mobile the title of the Azalea City. Marked by the pink line, the project took place every year from 1929 through 1948, and the city invited local, state, national and international dignitaries to cut the ribbon and officially open the trail! Local debutantes originally were invited to serve as the hostesses for the event.
However, that changed in 1949, when four local high schools were asked to elect two senior girls to serve on what would be the first Mobile Azalea Trail Court! Mary Edmonds from Murphy High School was chosen as the first queen of the court. When the idea of the Azalea Trail Festival was first born in 1951, the queen for the next seven years was the reigning Miss America, including Mobile’s own Yolanda Betbeze and Lee Meriwether! During this time, neighboring Chambers of Commerce were invited to send representatives to serve on the court.
The idea became so popular that gathering the full court became almost impossible, as some girls lived over three-hundred miles away! The time had come to revise the program, so the Mobile Junior Chamber of Commerce decided to limit the court to fifty senior girls from Mobile County High Schools. Ever since, the Mobile Azalea Trial Court has served, representing the finest Southern Hospitality and charm, with fifty young women who represent Mobile year-round at all events! The girls are in nationwide demand, and have appeared in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Rose Bowl Parade, the Chicago Christmas Parade and many more!
Every year, a new court is chosen through a rigorous interviewing process, in which the girls must pass through the school level first and then proceed to the county level. Only fifty of the one hundred girls then continue to serve on the court. The young women are knowledgeable in everything from the city they grew up into the world they will venture into! The Mobile Azalea Trail hosts fundraisers throughout the year, as they sell cookbooks and calendars to help fund their trips. If you see a member of the newly selected court, congratulate them on the honor!
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