Books brought them together. Breast cancer gave them a cause.
The Whine and Wine Book Club started meeting about three years ago, every third Tuesday of the month. It was as much a time for laughter and socializing as for discussing literature.
Then came the month they read a book by Jill Conner Browne of Sweet Potato Queen Fame, the franchise that offers help for every occasion such as raising children for fun and profit (yes, that is the name of one of her books).
Club member Jessica Traynham had arranged a surprise. She had e-mailed Browne and asked her to call during the meeting. And Browne did.
The women were so taken with the book, the woman, the night, they decided to start a Sweet Potato Queen chapter.
But Traynham and friend Juli Spann were not content to just dress up in big red wigs and costumes that made their you know whats much bigger than normal and march in Christmas parades.
“The fun can only go so far,” Traynham told Spann.
They settled on breast cancer awareness and called themselves the Ta-Ta Queens. Many Sweet Potato Queen chapters, including the original group, raise money for certain causes, but these Upstate ladies took it a step farther. They established a non-profit, the only Sweet Potato Queen chapter in the country to do so.
“We want to make a difference in our community,” Spann said.
They promote early detection and the importance of mammograms. They’ve joined with Race for the Cure and other events focused on breast cancer. They wear pink and have a 14-foot-long pink trailer for parades.
“Those big red wigs do make people notice us,” Spann said. “And that’s the point.”
Last year they staged their first fundraiser. It was at the Upcountry History Museum and about 150 people showed up, all by word of mouth. They made a little more than they spent, Spann said.
This year is a whole ‘nother story.
They are having the event at the Hilton Garden Inn. It’s A Royal Cotillion for Queens and Their Kings. Food, drink, auction, band.
And Browne.
Not only will the original queen attend the April 24 event, but she has waived her $15,000 speaking fee. And she’s bringing one of her crowns to be auctioned.
The reason is the group wants to do more than pass out literature and be big-haired pretty. They want to provide every woman battling breast cancer in the area – from those just diagnosed to those recovering from surgery – with The Royal Treatment Package.
“It will be full of things to make their life easier,” Spann said.
Tailored to individual needs, the package will include coupons, gift cards, housecleaning services, pillows to place under the arm during recuperation, information on where to get wigs or bras. Browne has also given them a number of autographed books to include.
“Humor helps in any situation,” Spann said.
They intend to ask doctors to offer information about the package to patients and their families, who in turn call and request one.
Spann said it is especially gratifying when a cancer patient tells her “You made me laugh.”
Everyone in the Ta-Tas has been touched by breast cancer. One is a survivor. Others have aunts or cousins, mothers or sisters who have battled the disease.
And at every appearance something touching happens.
At one, a woman asked one of the members to go with her to her next appointment.
“She wanted one of us to go hold her hand,” Spann said.
And one of them did.
