Just me and the pups this weekend. Barb, her sister Jan, niece Megan and pal Nancy are in Jackson, Mississippi, promoting sisterhood, self esteem and positive thinking with other Sweet Potato Queens.

The Sweet Potato Queens concept has been explained and made popular by a series of books by Jill Conner Browne of Jackson, who came up with the idea in 1982. (Browne is the author of a number of books which form the backbone of the Sweet Potato Queen “movement.”)

It involves a belief in a sisterhood, appealing to mostly middle-aged middle-class women. In 2005, almost ten thousand women dressed up in costumes and came to Jackson for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, proceeds from which benefited a local children’s hospital.