And the Award Goes To...

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) This is my first time as an iGene Awards presenter, and boy am I excited! As you can see I pulled out one of my best gowns for this red carpet occasion. To heck with Hollywood designer duds and loaned diamond jewelry. I haven't worn this dress since a 1997 community theatre production of Meet Me In St. Louis, so I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to give it another airing. Let's move past the idle self-indulgent awards ceremony banter, the awkward stumbling over the teleprompter, and those unexpected David Niven/Marlon Brando moments, and get on with the show.

Without further ado, I'd like to present the iGene award for Best Documentary. The award goes to...COG 97: Researching "The Coldbrook Tragedy" (Part 1 of 4) for my series on the Naramore family murders. This local story has fascinated me for several years, and apparently it has fascinated my blog readers as well, providing the second largest number of hits of all time on my blog.

The award for Best Picture goes to...why it's a tie! This has never happened before! The iGene is to be shared between (Almost) Wordless Wednesday: WWI Red Cross Volunteers AND Wordless Wednesday: Happy Mother's Day! My photo of WWI Red Cross volunteers from St. Mary's Polish parish in Worcester, MA was listed in a Red Cross Chat, What We're Reading post and interestingly has more hits, by a wide margin, than any other post on my blog. My Mother's Day post features my all time favorite photo of my mom, a real glamour shot. Ava Gardner has nothing on mom in this beautiful photo taken in the 1940s. Please check it out.

The award for Best Comedy goes to...What the Dickens, Or How To Blow Up A Duck! A shoo-in winner for sure! Forget all of those heartwarming holiday tales of food, family, and tradition from the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories. I invite you to return to Christmas Past, circa 1975, as my mother and I attempt to recreate a Dickensian holiday feast but blow up stuff instead. It's a tale you soon won't forget (no matter how hard you try).

The award for Best Screenplay goes to...The Stories My Grandmother Told Me! I can see the cast already. Back in the 1980s people use to confuse me with actress Emma Samms all the time. No really. Well, Emma Samms with a bad perm. Emma is the obvious choice to play my 2011 self. In the flashback sequence to my younger self, I would choose Selena Gomez, because I think she's just adorable. Betty White would play my grandmother. Why Betty White? Because she's everywhere these days. I can already hear her character saying to my character, "Do you really like your hair like that?" Rounding out the cast: Colin Firth and Natasha Kinski as the Count and Countess Glinka, and Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska as my great-grandparents Antoni and Ewa. I know, I know. Johnny Depp is a little old to play my great-grandfather opposite Mia, but it's my movie. Believe me, any movie I cast is going to have Colin Firth and Johnny Depp. 'Nuf said.

The award for Best Biography goes to...Meditation: The Strength of Ordinary Women, one of my all time favorite posts! I will admit to being especially proud of this two time winner. This particular post was also selected by iGene host Jasia as the featured post for the 94th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. Well, all I can say is you like me. You really like me!

Now a brief thank you. I'd like to say thank you to iGene host Jasia at Creative Gene and the entire staff at the Carnival of Genealogy for encouraging my work, the Academy (of Genealogists and Family Historians), my friends at the FFC or the Frustrated Footnote Committee (I promise to try try harder. Thanks for the free copy of EE! This one's for you!), my family (especially my long-suffering husband for putting up with my rather odd sense of humor, often at his expense and my son for being darn cute. Kisses from Mommy, and don't stay up too late, son.), all the ancestor's I've found (especially the 583 I've already input into my Family Tree Maker software.), all the ancestors I haven't found (We can do it the hard way, or we can do it the easy way. I WILL find you. Think about that.) and to all of the little people, diligently scanning and indexing records everywhere, I thank you.

Well, this concludes the 2011 edition of the iGene Awards at Heritage Zen. Thank you all. Goodnight.

THE FINE PRINT: In an effort of full disclosure I feel it is my duty to disclose the sad truth that I will never fit into this dress again. Never. I also apologize to my singing partner from Meet Me In St. Louis. I rather unceremoniously cropped his picture out of this photo, a classic case of someone's best work ending up on the cutting room floor. Sorry, but that's showbiz...


Other Posts You Might Like or It Was An Honor Just To Be Nominated:

Where They Lived: Every Address Tells a Story
Reflecting on My American Experience This Thanksgiving
A Slice of Life: Confessions of a Lunch Box Trader
A Matter of Habit: Solving a Mystery