Local History: How Chattanooga (Cotton) Ball got its start | Chattanooga Times Free Press

Zella Armstrong, the daughter of a Confederate officer, was a force in Chattanooga society in the 1930s through the 1960s. As an author and publisher of The Lookout newspaper, she covered activities of the social set in the region, which included Knoxville, Nashville, Atlanta and other points generally in the South.

The comings and goings of vacationers to New England for the summer, travelers on the Grand European Tour, adventurers visiting the Orient, or family excursions to Florida or St. Louis interested those who remained at home. "Miss Zella" happily gathered reports of all these newsy items for her paper. She included weddings and engagements, parties, visiting guests, births, deaths, family stories, poetry, gardens, homes and anything else that might please her readers.

As the nation recovered from the Great Depression, these tidbits provided relief and a look outward for Miss Zella's region of the world. Those who could not go on a Grand Tour could read about the people who did and live vicariously.

The impact of the Great Depression and Miss Zella's interest in her readers led her to imagine a grand ball that would not only entertain and engage young people but also would support some local charities. The Chattanooga Cotton Ball was thus born on Sept. 1, 1933.

Billed as a Fall Fashion Show and Floor Show "For the Benefit of the Children's Hospital Free Ward Fund and the Chattanooga Museum Association," the event took place in the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium. The Lookout, Volume 47, No. 19 states, "The identity of the King and Queen of the Chattanooga Cotton Ball is intriguing every one and all sorts of guesses are made. It is said that only one person beside the Queen and her immediate family knows the secret of her identity and that the King's name has been guarded just as closely."

More details followed in Volume 47, No. 10, "The formal program will begin promptly at 8 o'clock. The Sixth Cavalry band will play from 7:30 o'clock so that all who wish to go early to secure the best seats will have the pleasure of hearing the army band of thirty-five pieces. ... the trumpeters will herald the entrance of the children who will participate in the first part of the floor show. They will march to the center of the Auditorium floor." The children performed dances to a number of songs.

A fashion show presented by Loveman's, Vogue and Miller Brothers was followed by the announcement of the Queen and King. "First to enter will be the maid of honor, Miss Gertrude Williams, wearing a fluffy organdy gown. She will lead the court of thirty lovely girls chosen from Chattanooga's smartest set and some of the surrounding towns. Knoxville, Rockwood, Atlanta, Ga., and Montgomery, Ala., will be represented in the event."

The pattern of entertainment was set from that first production. Through the following 40 years, a full and elaborate program with kings, queens, trainbearers, maids of honor, grand marches, pageantry, dancing, fashion, and presentations of debutants and their handsome escorts filled the auditorium. Parties for the debutant belles throughout the preceding summers led up to the grand finale. It was indeed a grand ball when the floor was opened to the public, and the audience enjoyed dancing into the evening to the music of live orchestras. Everyone from far and near wanted to attend and participate.

The advent of television and the many forms of modern entertainment available to individuals in their homes gradually reduced the desire for such grand public extravaganzas. The concept of the Cotton Ball began to focus more on a simpler presentation of a court and on the charitable aspects that had always been important. Eventually The Cotton Ball became The Chattanooga Ball.

According to the Chattanooga Ball website, "Following the 1976 Bicentennial Ball, the board of directors voted to reduce the size of the event from a spectacular pageant to a dinner-dance that would more closely involve family participation during such an important night in the Belles' lives. With the event continuing to thrive, in 2019, the board voted to change the name to reflect more on the city Chattanooga has become, rather than the city's past. ... Today proceeds from the ball are given to charitable agencies that benefit women and children in the Chattanooga area."

Zella Armstong died in 1965. In 1962 the Zella Armstrong Fellowship for Advanced Music Study was established to reward talent in any field of the arts.

Karen Paul Stone is principal of Waldenhouse Publishers and author of several books. For more on local history, visit Chattahistoricalassoc.org.