Welcome to The Vintage Twirler!
If you found this page through the QR code on the Vintage Twirler gift basket at Baton Twirling Nationals in Council Bluffs, Iowa, please scroll to the bottom of this page for more information. Thank you for visiting The Vintage Twirler and learning more about our work.
Welcome to the Vintage Twirler, est. 2021
If you found this page through the QR code on the Vintage Twirler gift basket at Baton Twirling Nationals in Council Bluffs, Iowa, please scroll to the bottom of this page for more information. Thank you for visiting The Vintage Twirler and learning more about our work.
Every Twirler Has A Story
Whether you competed yesterday or 50 years ago, your photographs, uniforms, trophies, memories and traditions are part of baton twirling’s history. The Vintage Twirler exists to make sure those stories aren’t lost. Since 2021, we’ve been documenting the people, photographs, organizations, traditions and memories that have shaped baton twirling for generations. Earlier this year, we launched the Baton Twirling Preservation Society via Substack.
Free Members Receive
- Membership in the Baton Twirling Preservation Society + digital badge
- Weekly baton twirling news aggregate
- Access to regular Vintage Twirler posts and updates
- Occasional access to archival discoveries and historic features
- The opportunity to help preserve an overlooked piece of American cultural history
Paid Members Receive ($5 Monthly or $50 Annually)
- Membership in the Baton Twirling Preservation Society + digital badge
- Paid member-only news, features, and preservation content
- Monthly collectible Vintage Twirler of the Month sticker mailed to your home
- Special collectible Christmas and Fourth of July greeting cards
- Expanded archival posts and historic photo collections
- Early access to selected long-form stories and preservation features
- Access to all regular Vintage Twirler posts and updates
- Directly support the preservation and documentation of baton twirling history
Membership is $5 monthly or $50 annually. Subscribers may cancel anytime.
History is Disappearing
Baton twirling is experiencing a modern resurgence. Across the United States and internationally, athletes, collegiate feature twirlers, majorette lines, parade corps, and competitive teams are introducing a new generation to one of the most visually dynamic performance arts in the world.
Yet at the very moment baton twirling is evolving and expanding, enormous pieces of its history are quietly disappearing. Explore our three-part series examining the modern resurgence of baton twirling, the urgent need for preservation, and the vision behind the Baton Twirling Preservation Society.
Part I: The Baton Twirling Renaissance (May 17, 2026)
Part II: The Loss of Twirling’s Living Memory (May 18, 2026)
Part III: Building the Baton Twirling Preservation Society (May 19, 2026)
Warren Bass, Mizzou Feature Twirler 1962-1965
Vintage Twirler of the Month Sticker, July 2026
You Belong To This Story
If baton twirling has been part of your life, your story belongs in this history.
Whether you are a former or current local, regional, state, national, or world champion; a twirl mom or dad; a coach or former coach; a fan of twirling; a student of history and culture; a collegiate feature twirler; a line or team performer who marched before thousands; a majorette, drum majorette, or drum major in hometown parades or Division I stadiums; a student just getting started; the son or daughter of a Vintage Twirler; or someone who twirled for one unforgettable summer many years ago, you are part of the larger story of baton twirling.
By joining the Baton Twirling Preservation Society through Substack, subscribers help ensure that the legacy of baton twirling and majorette culture continues to be documented, preserved, and celebrated for future generations.
Vintage Twirler Gift Basket Contents
1980s Black Skipper Baton Twirler
1978 Eisenhower Dollar
1979 Susan B. Anthony Dollar
1976 Bicentennial Quarter
2006 Kennedy Half Dollar
Vintage Needles/Threader
Pink Roller Set and Sleep Bonnet
Generations Road Trip Game
Jacks and Metal Slinky
Pick Up Sticks and 12 Dance Ribbons
Candy Buttons and Swedish Fish
Thatcher’s Caramel Popcorn
Bit-O-Honey and Laffy Taffy
Old Fashioned Candy Sticks
Butterscotch Lifesavers
Lemonheads and Fireballs
Bazooka and Double Bubble Gum
Vintage Twirler Postcards
1-Year Subscription – Baton Twirling Preservation Society
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Recent Blog Posts
Manzanar Majorette: September Vintage Twirler of the Month
The September Vintage Twirler of the Month was inspired by the Manzanar majorettes. Here is an excerpt from my August 13, 2023 post, “Japanese Internment Camps Featured Baton Twirling Lessons.” The sticker will be mailed to paid subscribers of the Vintage Twirler...
Represent Your State as a Twirling Historian
Help Research, Document and Preserve Your State’s Baton Twirling History The Baton Twirling Preservation Society is looking for volunteers from across the country to help preserve and document the history of baton twirling — one state at a time. What Does a Twirling...
Bob Roberts: The Roller Skating Baton Twirler, Drum Major and Teacher
Bob Roberts (1917-1969), a nationally known baton twirler and former Los Angeles Rams drum major, made roller-skating baton twirling one of his specialties. Despite countless newspaper references to Roberts performing on skates, I have yet to find a photograph of him...
Paulette Braun: Circus Twirler, Wire Walker and Photographer
Omaha native Paulette Braun was a baton twirler, juggler and wire walker who performed with the circus and appeared as a halftime entertainer with the Harlem Globetrotters before beginning a second career as a professional animal photographer. Braun performed during...
Carolyn Brown Shrewsbury: Acrobat, Majorette and Gymnastics Pioneer
Long before Carolyn Brown Shrewsbury (circa 1942-) began teaching generations of young gymnasts, she was the youngster onstage doing the things that seemed nearly impossible. Brown, who grew up in Maryland, began performing as a child in the 1950s. Photographs from...
Remembering Beverly Birkel Krysa: Pioneer Apache Belle and Longtime Texas Twirler
Mary Ann Ward and Beverly Birkel, Tyler Junior College Apache Belles, 1954Beverly Austine Birkel Krysa (1935-2026), a former University of Texas Texas Stars captain and Apache Belle, passed away in Virginia from stroke complications at the age of 91. A 1952 graduate...
Photo Detail: Jean Holdsworth’s (1941-2022), baton twirling class notebook including lessons, exercises and routines. Holdworth was a majorette with Napa High School and Napa Junior College. Her baton twirling instructon was Barbara Zuehlke Mercer (1926-2018).