1970s Blog Posts
Baby cried the day the circus came to town’cause she didn’t want parades just passin’ by her…
From Melissa Manchester, 1978
Elkhorn Hillbilly Twirlers, 1979
Elkhorn Hillbilly Twirlers In 1979, the Elkhorn Twirling Stars dressed up like hillbillies and marched in the Pikeville, Kentucky. The baton twirling corps was presumably based out of Elkhorn City, Kentucky, which today has a population of 982. Elkhorn City is nestled...
1970s Polaroid
A young Black girl sporting a blue western-style pantsuit twirls a store-bought baton in her kitchen. We know it's the kitchen because you can see Maxwell House coffee in the lower lefthand corner. 😉 All in all, a very cute vintage Polaroid. Those store-bought batons...
Tammy, Tammy, Tammy’s in Kansas
Tammy, Tammy, Tammy's somewhere in Kansas, twirling her baton. Tammy was a drum majorette at a high school on the Kansas Prairie, 1976. Click here to revisit Debbie Reynolds and Tammy
Fujimis, the Baton Skill Named for Cathy Fujimi
Fujimis are an advanced baton twirling skill. Baton twirler Cathy Fujimi became known for them and it helped her to reach eponym status. Read on to learn more. The following pictures are very rare images of Cathy Fujimi, (b. 1959) who won the Little Miss Majorette of...
1970s Majorettes in Atlanta
These 1970s majorettes are clad in quintessential baton twirler gauntlets, tiaras, sequin body suits and tall white boots. This costuming was on trend for the era. Oh, the memories! These twirlers were members of the Luther Judson Price High School Majorette Squad,...
Remembering Debbie Dolen
1973 Over the last several years, we have spent countless hours researching the history of baton twirling and gathering up stories. Along the way we’ve noticed that men are often the first to share the most historic majorette and baton twirling photos of women. These...
Carol Lites, 1970s
Check out our latest lovely photo restoration! This is Carol Lites in the 1970s during a photo shoot at the park district where she learned to twirl baton. Isn't the long fringe on her costume great!? We love it. All of us here at the Vintage Twirler miss chainette...
1978 Illinois Boys Baton Twirling Champion Performed on Bozo’s Circus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYEfzhp8Fmk&t=29s Happy Fourth of July! Here is a special treat for everyone. On July 4, 1978, the 11-year-old Illinois Boys Baton Twirling Champion performed on Bozo's Circus. The show aired on WGN, a local Chicago station. It was...
1970s Street Photography Pictures of Majorettes (Photographer: Gary Krueger)
Gary Krueger (b. 1945) is a celebrated American photographer whose street photograpy includes majorettes in Los Angeles between 1971 and 1980. The vintage gelatin silver prints along with several others were part of a 2021 exhibit, City of Angels, 1971-1980, at the...
Pastel Rainbow of Baton Twirlers (1974)
How glorious is this stairstepped pastel rainbow of baton twirlers? Honestly, some of the faces in this photo look very familiar. We're pretty sure at least two of these twirlers are still around, coaching and judging. If you're in this photo let us know! Pastel...
Oral Histories
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information using sound recordings of interviews with people having personal knowledge of past events. If you would like to share your personal oral history of baton twirling, please let us know. We are available to conduct interviews every Friday. Interviews will be available on this website. Once a substantial number of interviews have been conducted, they will be presented in podcast format. Nothing will be published without the interviewee’s written consent. Thank you for helping preserve the history of baton twirling.
Vintage Ephemera
Baton twirling ephemera refers to things like programs, posters, patches, stickers, magazines, newsletters, and other things typically written or printed that were used for a specific period of time.
Majorette Memories
We welcome high-quality scans of your vintage baton twirling ephemera. You can also receive items through the mail. We’ll digitally preserve your memories in high-quality scans. Thank you so much for supporting this project.
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