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  • Jill Conner Browne is the original, self-coronated Sweet Potato Queen. She will appear in Joplin on Oct. 2 for a Children's Miracle Network fundraiser.

    Sweet Potato Queen

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August 19, 2010

Fit for a queen: Sweet Potato Queen to appear at event to benefit Children’s Miracle Network

By Scott Meeker Globe Staff Writer

JOPLIN, Mo. — There is no easy way to sum up the philosophy of the Sweet Potato Queen.

Just ask “Boss Queen” Jill Conner Browne herself.

“There is no short answer that makes any sense,” Browne said. “There’s no long answer that makes any sense. It just doesn’t make sense.”

But for her devotees — and they are many — a philosophy is beside the point. It’s all about having fun.

Browne — a best-selling author, speaker and founder of the Sweet Potato Queen movement — will headline a fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network on Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Jack Lawton Webb Convention Center, 5309 S. Range Line.

The message she wants to impart is the importance of the power of play. Simply having fun is “as important to your well being as food, clothing and shelter,” said Browne.

“What I provide is a vehicle and an invitation to do that,” she said. “For many people, it’s life changing.”

Browne came up with the Sweet Potato Queen concept in the 1980s, when she discovered that the nearby Vardaman, Miss., was the self-proclaimed Sweet Potato Capital of the World and decided she needed to be its queen.

She and four friends wore hand-me-down gowns and tiaras in the Jackson, Miss., St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Since that modest beginning, the concept and her message of humor and empowerment (not to mention the elaborate scope of her costume) has grown exponentially.

Her best-selling humor books have included “God Save the Sweet Potato Queens,” “The Sweet Potato Queens’ Wedding Planner/Divorce Guide,” and “American Thighs: The Sweet Potato Queen’s Guide to Preserving Your Assets.”

There’s even a Sweet Potato Queen Broadway musical in development.

There are also more than 6,100 Sweet Potato Queen chapters that have sprung up around the world, in 21 countries. Each chapter designs its own costumes and participates in local parades and events, but Browne says that there’s only one true queen. All others are simply “wannabes.”

“All I expect (from them) is 100 percent blind devotion,” she said. “The only rule of my queendom is that you do whatever I say, whenever I say it, with a big grin on your face. Fortunately, all I ever call on them to do is ride on a float dressed stupid.”

Browne’s Sweet Potato Queen efforts have raised funds for the Blair E. Batson children’s hospital in Jackson, and she said that it was easy to get behind the mission of Children’s Miracle Network. She waives her regular speaking fee to appear at any CMN-affiliated hospital that wants her help raising funds.

Kathy Watson, coordinator of the Joplin branch of CMN, said that every penny raised during the event will stay local.

“We’ll be using that money to provide services for families, such as (medical) equipment and travel needs,” she said.

Funds raised will also benefit the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Freeman Health System. The NICU provides help to babies born prematurely or suffering from problems such as infections or respiratory distress.

A VIP reception will be offered at 6 p.m. Admission is $75 and includes a photo with Browne, a gift bag and early access to the program. For the regular program, admission is $40, which includes food and dessert, a silent auction and Browne’s presentation. Watson said that a specially designed crown for the occasion will be among the auction items.

“This is an event for women, a chance for them to get together with their girlfriends and get dressed up in a fun and crazy way,” she said.

Details: 347-6639 or www.cmnmiracles.org.

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