From appearing in Dairy Festival as a five-year old, when she brought along her favorite cartoon character, 1991 Hopkins County Dairy Festival Queen, Karol Ann Taylor "did it for real" and won the crown, following hours of practice on a piano piece and many observances at previous Dairy Festival pageants and practices.

When Hopkins County paused to celebrate the mulit-million dollar dairy industry, in 1991, it was "two-tier pricing" that was being bantered about both the local and national dairy scene. In May of 1991, over 250 local dairy farmers had met in the Hopkins County Civic Center to hear the outline of the two-tier pricing system, where some predicted that local milk prices would be below the $9.00 per cwt rate, with most in the crowd agreeing that dairy farmers needed at least $12.00 per cwt in order to survive. Representatives from Hopkins County were meeting with dairy cooperative leaders, congressmen in Washington and lobbyist from several farm groups to attempt to get a plan into effect that would make dairy farming more profitable.

 

It was Dairy Festival Founder, Lena Mae Rogers, who served as the Parade Marshal for
the 1991 Hopkins County Dairy Festival Parade. Here she waves to the crowd along
the parade route, on Gilmer Street.

 

Casey Schulte, a senior at Sulphur Springs High School, had been notified of his designation as a National Merit Scholar, and Tara Petty, another SSHS senior, had been awarded the Beta Sigma Phi Scholarship at the organization's Founder's Day Celebration in Sulphur Springs.

LaRoyce and Waquetta Beard of Sulphur Springs, a married couple serving in the military, were both serving in Desert Storm and about 300 miles apart, but unaware of their close proximity, until the war was over. "Let me tell you, there is 'no midnight in the oasis,' in this war," expressed LaRoyce Beard.

Former Sulphur Springs Wildcat Greg Owens had been selected for a major athletic award at his Stephen F. Austin University and Sheila Sims was headed to State in the shot-put event, to represent SSHS there again. Meanwhile, SSHS high jumper, Brian Matthews was also headed to the state track and field event and J.J. Rorie and Julie Stone were working on their "tickets" to the competition in golf and tennis, respectively.

Dr. Bill Dietz and Ricky Berry had won re-election to the SSISD School Board in spring elections and Bill Frazier had won a seat on the Sulphur Springs City Council, along with Lydia Bryant winning re-election to her seat. Joe Crouch, running for his first term on the council had to defeat J.O. Walker, in a run-off before gaining his seat. Ronny Petty and Dale Crumpton, incumbents, had been re-elected at Cumby and David Anderson and George Back were "new faces" on the Miller Grove ISD Board. David Vail and Weldon Watkins had won places on the Como-Pickton School Board and Belinda Martin and Huck McCormack were elected to the board in North Hopkins.

 

Dairy Festival Queen Candidates for 1991 are shown here at the Milking Contest
with their parents. At far right is 1990 Queen Angie Dickens and her parents.

 

The year 1991 was the year of Desert Storm, when President George Bush had declared war on Iraq, in January. Forty-two people had been killed in Johannesburg, South Africa, at a soccer match, and "Dances With Wolves" had been selected for a Golden Globe Award. The New York Giants beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV by a narrow 20-19, and U.S. Postage rates were raised from 25 cents to 29 cents for a standard letter. Pete Rose had been barred from ever being eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and Tonya Harding won the U.S. World Figure Skating Title. Todd Eldredge won the U.S. Men's Figure Skating title.

March of 1991, found Los Angeles Policemen in what would become known as the "Rodney King Beating," when officers attacked a man. And, Donald Trump had given Marla Maples a 7.45 karat diamond ring, that was being talked about around the nation.

Both Julia Roberts and "Pretty Woman" had won People's Choice Awards and Magic Johnson had set a NBA record for career assists. The Dow Jones Average had closed above 3000 for the first time in history, on April 17th, 1991 and Evander Holyfield had beat George Foreman for the Heavyweight title. Texas Ranger Nolan Ryan had pitched his 7th no-hitter game and "Strike the Gold" had won the 117th annual "Run for the Roses," in Louisville's Kentucky Derby.

Meanwhile, right here at home in Hopkins County, the Master's Family Foundation had donated $10,000.00 for the new Boys and Girls Club and Jim Masters had just celebrated his 80th birthday with family and friends. Members of the National Cutting Horse Association had made an appearance at the local Kiwanis Club meeting promoting a cutting event that was coming to the Civic Center in June 1991, and the Hopkins County Dairy Festival had announced that there would be a special "postal cancellation mark" to commemorate the 1991 festival.

City Manager Olan Petty had advised local citizens that there weren't any old lead pipes in the city of Sulphur Springs, so the city would not be affected by the rules calling for monitoring of tap water for possible lead poisoning. And, Sammy Weir, a senior at North Hopkins High School, had returned from the State UIL competition with a silver medal in the ready writing category.

Two local sisters, thirteen years apart, Laura Lundgren and Pamela Jo Underwood, would both be receiving degrees from East Texas State University, in spring commencement exercises; they were the daughters of Dolores Lundgren of Sulphur Springs.  And, Mother's Day had been special for local resident Rita Hathcoat, when her son, James, had returned from Iraq in time to celebrate the holiday with his mother.

Episcopal Church members and Bishop Donis Patterson had opened their new church on College Street and were inviting the public to dedication services, while Queen Elizabeth was visiting the U.S. and met with "Stormin' Norman" Schwarzkopf, where they attended a major league baseball game together and ate popcorn, before she addressed the U.S. Congress.

"Terminator II...The Judgement Day" was the top movie for 1991, grossing over $204 million dollars. Other top movies included: "Robinhood Prince of Thieves," "Silence of the Lambs," "City Slicker," "Hook," "The Addams Family," "Sleeping With the Enemy," "Father of the Bride," "Naked Gun 2 1/2," and "Fried Green Tomatoes."

 

Queen candidate, Rori Hall won the contestant
Milking Contest, while her parents, Randy and
Ruth Mary Hall won the parents Milking Contest.

 

On the 1991 music scene, it was "Everything I Do I Do It For You," by Bryan Adams, that was the top song for the year. "I Wanna Sex You Up," by Color Me Badd, "Gonna Make You Sweat," by C&C Music Factory, and "Rush, Rush," by Paula Abdul were among the other top songs.

Youth in Hopkins County might have been found listening to: "Unbelievable," by EMF; "One Man Try," by Timmy T, "More Than Words," by the Extremes; "I Like The Way (The Kissing Game)" by Hi-Five; "The First Time," by Surface; or "Baby, Baby," by Amy Grant. Other popular songs included: "Motownphilly," by Boyz II Men; "Because I Love You," by Stevie-B; "From a Distance," by Bette Midler; "Someday" and "Emotions" by Mariah Carey; "Right Here, Right Now" by Jesus Jones; "Love Will Never Do," by Janet Jackson: and "All The Man I Need" by Whitney Houston.

Madonna sang "Justify My Love," Celine Dion made popular "Where Does My Heart Beat Now," and Michael Bolton brought us "Time, Love, and Tenderness," and "Love Is A Wonderful Thing" in 1991. Rod Stewart's "Rhythm of My Heart" was popular, as well as "Play That Funky Music," by Vanilla Ice; "I'll Be There," by the Escape Club; and "Everybody Plays the Fool," by Aaron Neville.

 

This 1991 "Easter" float ridden by B&PW Club representative Christy Miller won the
Theme Award as it featured a "Holstein Rabbit."

 

It was March 15, 1991, that seven members of the Reba McEntire Band and her road manger were killed in a tragic plane crash, shaking the popular singer and the entire Country and Western music community. McEntire released "For My Broken Heart," in honor of her fallen associates, months later. Garth Brooks brought us "The Thunder Rolls," "Shameless," "Two of a Kind, Workin' on A Full House," and "Unanswered Prayers," while Alan Jackson brought us "Don't Rock The Jukebox," and Joe Diffie sang"If The Devil Danced In Empty Pockets." A new singer on the scene, Mark Chesnutt made popular "Brother Jukebox" and the group Alabama sang "Down Home."

Trish Yearwood sang "She's In Love With the Boy," and George Strait made popular "You Know Me Better Than That" and "If I Know Me." Doug Stone produced "In A Different Light" and Clint Black had the hit "Loving Blind." It was in 1991 that Naomi Judd announced her retirement from Country Music, at the apex of her career, due to a hepatitis-C infection.

Roseanne and Tom Arnold were wed "again" in 1991, but wouldn't last together that time either.  And, "60 Minutes" was the most popular television show for the year, edging "Roseanne" to second place. Other popular television shows were: "Murphy Brown," "Coach," "Home Improvement," "Cheers," "Designing Women," "Full House," "Major Dad," and "Murder, She Wrote."

 

This Christmas themed float, ridden by Rotary Club's Kelley Moody, won the Beauty
Award in the 1991 Parade.

 

When it became time to enter the 1991 Dairy Festival Queen competition, there were six young ladies who chose to enter the contest. They were: Kelley Moody, sponsored by the Rotary Club; Karol Ann Taylor, representing the Mother's Culture Club; Christy Miller, sponsored by the B&PW Club; Northeast Texas Farmer's Coop sponsored Angie Martin; Dial Study Club representative, Rori Hall; and Jr. Waverly Club sponsored Christa Ponder.

 

Rori Hall rode this "Halloween" themed float, representing the Dial Study Club, and won
the Sweepstakes Award. The float featured "Milk is a treat....not a trick" with baby
calves trick-or-treating.

 

Reviving a festival theme from 1973, the 1991 theme was "Holidays in Dairyland" and featured each contestant drawing an annual holiday for their float theme. Bruce Fielden served as the president of the Hopkins County Dairy Festival Board and Mike Blount served as vice-president. Mrs. Eva Ruth Long served as secretary, Jan Bartley served as treasurer, and Pam Black served as reporter. Other members of the board included: Theresa Birchfield, Deborah Evans, Jerry Gibby, Bobby McDonald, Mary Campbell, Britt Fisher, Lynda Hager, Patricia Chase, Sherrie Garrard, Judy Jones, and Gordon Miller.

An Arts and Crafts Fair on the sidewalks of the downtown square opened the events of the Dairy Festival week, on Saturday morning, June 8th, at 10:00 a.m. The annual Dairy Festival Parade made its way from Buford Park, beginning at noon, winding its way through Sulphur Springs, to waving fans, along the parade route. In another revival of a past event, a "Father's Day Face Feedin' and Ice Scream Eating Contest" was featured at 2:00 p.m., with the grand opening of the Southwest Dairy Museum. Saturday night found a return of "The Blandelles" for a street dance on the downtown square.

 

Angie Martin, representing Northeast Texas Farmer's Coop, rode this Valentine themed
float in the 1991 parade.

 

In the annual Milking Contest, it was what many called a "family affair." Rori Hall captured the first prize in the candidate contest and her parents, Ruth Mary and Randy Hall captured the Parent's Milking Contest. Christa Ponder placed second among the candidates and her parents, P.J. and Barbara also captured second place, while third prize was won by Christy Miller and her parents captured third prize among the parents.

Featured in golf carts and as "Holiday Honies" on the stage were "little children:" Blake Fisher, Garrett Latham, Kory Koon, Jayden Spencer, Layne Ashmore, Calan Ashmore, Sherly Garrard, Rachel Preuss, Emily Holland, Kaylen Black, Katlin Black, Katie Jackson, Whitney Gideon, Will Longino, Travis Longino, Beth Walker, Savannah Gibby, Tara Gibby, Monica Helm, Valerie Walker, Faith Petty, Colbie Cross, Jordan PanKratz, and Marc McLeroy.

 

This Thanksgiving float was ridden by Dairy Festival Candidate Christa Ponder and
her friends, in the 1991 Dairy Festival Parade.

At the 1991 Northeast Texas Dairy Show, it was exhibitors: Callie Willingham, Alexis Willingham, Kevin Gibson, Michael Lawrence, Melissa Bryant, Amber Pool, Michele Berry, Brandon Hopper, Josh Boatman, Sheila Hinton, Molly Chase, J.R. Fisher, Carrie Chase, Chanelle Hinton, Trey Hinton, Cricket Hinton, Brandon Brewer, Danny Lawrence, Casey Brewer, Martin Bryant, Stacey Gibson, Amy Koeler, and Kyle Caldwell that were exhibiting in the local Classic Heifer Program.

 

The Dairy Festival Pageant was featured on June 15th and found former Rose Festival Queen and Mt. Vernon resident, Mrs. Kitty Ramsay, serving as Mistress of Ceremonies. Special entertainment for the evening was a little girl that would soon rise to national fame and a "Star-Search performer, LeAnn Rimes, and local vocalist, Jason Frazier, who had won national FFA recognition. Miss New Jersey, Lynette Falls, was also featured on the piano, during the pageant, and served as one of the judges.

 

A very young, LeAnn Rimes, belts-out a song
as she made her appearance at the 1991 Dairy Festival.
She would go on to become a national star in the
next few years.

Earlier in the day, the Dairy Festival Candidates were featured in the 3rd Annual Ladies Brunch, which featured a meal catered by Laura Teer, Paula Brown, and Renee Armstrong, with Ramsay as the narrator. Dairy Festival candidates modeled clothes from local fashion outlets and special entertainment was provided by 1989 Dairy Festival Queen, Natalie Randles, on the violin.

When the votes were counted and the scores tabulated, it was the classical piano solo of Karol Ann Taylor, that captured the attention of the judges, and the daughter of Tim and Barbara Taylor was crowned the new queen, by 1990 Queen Angie Dickens. First Runner-up was Christa Ponder, daughter of P.J. and Barbara Ponder, and second runner-up was awarded to Angie Martin, daughter of Regina and David Martin.

Martin won the ticket sales by selling 266 tickets and Rori Hall was first runner-up in sales.

Hall captured the Sweepstakes award with her "Halloween" float, that featured trick-or-treating calves riding on a float, pulled by a giant, orange pumpkin. Christy Miller's float received the "Theme Award" with her Easter float and Kelley Moody was awarded the "Beauty Award" for her Christmas float.

In the children's mini-float contest, it was Jordan PanKratz and Marc McLeroy who captured first prize; Kaylene and Katlin Black, second prize; and Sheryl Garrard and Rachel Preuss captured third prize.

The Sulphur Springs Chapter of the Young Homemakers hosted a Queen's Reception, after the new queen was announced, during the pageant.

We found 1991 Dairy Festival Queen, Karol Ann Taylor Moore, currently living in Austin, Texas, with her husband, Jeff Moore, and the mother of two children, Jacob age 10, and Audrey age 8. "My greatest accomplishment in life is being married for thirteen years to a wonderful guy and having two wonderful children," exclaims Karol Ann. "I've truly been blessed!"

Karol Ann graduated from Sulphur Springs High School in 1992 and made a wonderful choice in choosing Texas A&M University as her college (Gig'em Aggies). There she was involved in a number of music venues, including the Women's Chorus. But, music called her away from college, when she and her husband, Jeff, traveled for four years conducting concerts for youth groups, churches, and youth camps, where they released four original CD's, as a part of that music ministry.

However, things changed in 1998, when Jacob was born, and Karol Ann became a "stay-at-home mom." By 2000, Jeff accepted a position as associate pastor at Fellowship Church Southwest and the family moved to Austin. Today, Karol Ann continues as a part of the music/worship ministry program, working alongside Jeff. They have produced two CD's and a live CD for the church.

 

Karol Ann Taylor sits atop her Mother's Culture Club float, that she fondly remembers. The
float featured a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and celebrated the holiday,
St. Patrick's Day, in the 1991 parade.

 

Karol Ann returned to school in 2005, graduating suma cum laude, in December 2007, with a Bachelors degree in geography. She has just completed her teaching certification and hopes to be employed as a social studies teacher for the 2009-10 school year.

Jeff and Karol Ann formed the "Karol Moore Band," in 2005, and continue to peform and play original songs to various groups in the Austin, Texas area, in their "spare" time.

Karol Ann remembers appearing in the Dairy Festival when she was five years old. "I was asked to be one of the little children in Dairy Festival, that year, and we all wore green and white dresses and carried our favorite cartoon character dolls," relates Karol Ann. "From that moment, I wanted to compete for the Dairy Festival Queen and looked up to the Dairy Festival Queens ahead of me, as role models! Naturally, then when Mother's Culture Club asked me to be their representative, I was thrilled!"

 

Karol Ann Taylor dreamed of becoming Dairy Festival Queen from the time
she made her debute appearance in this festival when she was only 5 years old.

 

In reminiscing about her winning talent presentation, Karol Ann allowed that she had always just known that she would play the piano for her talent. "My mom, who had taught piano for years, and I purchased several classical piano cassettes and listened to them trying to find the perfect piece for me," remembers the former queen. "Finally, we heard the song that was 'the one,' and it was called Souvenier de Porto Rico. We ordered the music and it took me a while to learn the song and then we had to cut the song to fit it into the contest time allotment! I practiced, and practiced, and become comfortable with the piece and was ready after about a year of working on the talent presentation, so I had the confidence I need by talent night!"

One of Taylor's "lessons that stuck with her" from the Dairy Festival experience was the dedication that she learned to devote to her talent. "I had worked hard and by doing so, I learned to be prepared and make the necessary preparations, to build confidence, and that has served me well in life!" expresses Karol Ann. "I'd never have had the confidence without all of the hard work!"

When asked about her fondest memories of her Dairy Festival experience, Karol Ann fondly remembers her "shoe episode." "We found the perfect dress for the evening gown competition, but couldn't find shoes to match," relates Karol Ann. "That's when we decided to bead the shoes ourselves, and I think it took every member of my family working on those shoes to get them completed, before the contest!"

 

Karol Ann Taylor atop the Queen's float in the 1992 Dairy Festival Parade , as she reigned over
the festival.

 

 

Another favorite memory for Karol Ann was the family bonding that took place during the building of her float. "I think the worst nightmare for any parent was to learn that they had to build a Dairy Festival float," expresses Karol Ann, as she remembers her year. "However, with many, many nights of working on the float, take-out meals, stuffing tissue paper, and relying on uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, and a host of friends from First Baptist Church, we entered the parade with When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, a creation that I thought beautifully protrayed St. Patrick's Day!"

"My dad, Tim Taylor, woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep, until he crafted a dairy cow out of chicken wire, one night," continues Karol Ann. "We built the float in the Coca Cola building and it featured a pot of gold, with milk flowing out, and had green and white buttermilk cartons as a feature on it. My dad was pleased that I won the Dairy Festival Queen title, but I think secretly he was already dreading have to do something with the queen's float for the next year!"

In offering advice to young women who would seek the Dairy Festival Queen's crown, Karol Ann advises that it is a "one-of-a-kind opportunity" that is an honor to serve. She relates that it isn't like any other pageant or program that you'll ever enter and is fairly done, allowing you to be yourself and meet hundreds of people, all across Hopkins County. "My parents enjoyed the experience so much, that they eventually joined the Dairy Festival Board, to help other young ladies have the opportunity that I enjoyed," relates Karol Ann. "It is truly an experience that will build character and offers a once in a lifetime experience!"

 

Karol Ann recieves a kiss from her father, Tim Taylor, as she presides over the
1992 Dairy Festival, before relinquishing her crown.

 

Meanwhile, as Karol Ann served Hopkins County as Dairy Festival Queen, it was Stacy Mitchel and Pam Harrington that served as Drum Majors for the SSHS Wildcat Band. Casey Shulte and Duane Sprague were awarded top honors at the SSHS Sports Banquet for Track and Field. And, Shulte was also named valedictorian of the 1991 SSHS Graduating Class, while Jeff Jones was selected salutatorian. Tracie Johnson and Tonya Self were selected as the top students in the Saltillo class of 1991, and Christi Creager and Kristi Fisher were the top grads at Yantis High School. Stacey Bolton and Christie Moseley were "head of the class" at Miller Grove, as were Cindy Clements and Lesli Keith at Como-Pickton. Kristi Allen and Brandi Brice were the top grads at North Hopkins.

Jason Mangum and Jeremy Stewart were sited as the top SSHS Baseball players at SSHS in 1991, and Casey Shulte was selected for the male Forrest Gregg Award, while Jackie Wade and Cutrena Thomas recieved the female award. And, it was Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brother's Band that was in concert in the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center, when they brought their music to town, while Claudy and Lutie Patterson, of Sulphur Bluff were honored by the Committee on Aging for having been married 67 years.

The dairy industry in Hopkins County faced several challenges in 1991, with lower milk prices, due to overproduction across the nation, but local dairy farmers gathered to salute the industry that was still the "main stay" in Hopkins County and looked toward continuing to adjust their operations, as they went about trying to make a profit. Some chose to add cows to their herds, while others began a trend of outside feeding of commodities, that would gain popularity in the coming years. Others opted to establish more winter pasture on their farms and "fine-tune" their feeding programs in other ways. It was a time for change on local dairy farms.

 

Today, Karol Ann Taylor Moore, resides with her husband Jeff, in Austin, where
they are the parents of two children, Jacob and Audrey. She continues to develop
the music talent that began when she was preparing for her Dairy Festival crown,
beginning at age 5.

 

Karol Ann Taylor Moore returns back to Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County regularly to visit family members, parents, Tim and Barbara Taylor, brother and sister, Blake and Amy Taylor, and nieces, Alli and Addi Taylor. "I look forward to returning to Hopkins County in June 2009 and be a part of the Hopkins County Dairy Festival, that has been such a vital part of my family's life," expresses Karol Ann. "I'll enjoy visiting with friends, former queens, and members of the Dairy Festival Board!"