The Strawberry Queen and Court hit the ground running to ring in the 2018 Florida Strawberry Festival.
After months of preparation, the Strawberry Queen and Court finally had their chance to usher in the Florida Strawberry Festival.
Opening day started hours before the sun rose for the new royals. Though they spent the weeks prior to the
festival attending every major event in town to draw attention to the upcoming festivities, the girls woke up well before their 2 a.m. alarms on March 1 to prepare for the big day.
“It was kind of like Christmas morning,” Queen’s Court member Selena Berrios said. “I set my alarm for 2 a.m. but still woke up early. I was just so excited, we all were. It was finally here.”
By 5 a.m. the girls were dressed to the nines, smiling and standing under the flashing lights of the fair rides as they greeted the media and talked about what to expect over the next 11 days. When the gates opened at 10 a.m. they were standing at each turnstile, waving and even occasionally hugging visitors to the festival.
Their itinerary was extensive, but their smiles and enthusiasm never wavered.
“This is really who they are, they’re very genuine and just truly love the festival,” Donna Keel, chairman of the Strawberry Queen committee and co-strawberry mom to the royals, said. “They never once wavered. It’s a long day. We’re here before the sun is up and stay until late that night, but they never complained and were excited for each new thing we did. They use their titles for the good of the festival, not the good of themselves and that shows.”
Though they’ve had the crown and sashes for months, the girls said they are still caught off-guard by the number of people who want to meet them.
"I just think it’s really cool how people come up to us because we all think we’re just normal people, but the love we’re shown is truly humbling,” Queen Ally Burt said. “That first day, a mom just handed her baby to us. They’re all so kind and we’re honored to get to be a part of this.”
The 11 days of the festival have been described by previous queens as a “whirlwind experience.” In order to be sure they are all able to remember their experiences, Burt is keeping a journal in which she has each girl write their favorite moment of the day before they all leave for the night.
While taking a moment to relax in the Palace — a room at the festival where the Queen and Court get ready and rest between events — the girls joked about the influence their strawberry moms, Keel and Di Lott, have already had on their lives. Berrios said they’ve already begun to pick up some of their quirks, like calling any purse a “pocketbook.”
Though laced with light teasing, the girls unanimously agreed they would never have been able to “pull this off” without Keel and Lott. From them, the girls said, they continue to learn how to deepen their love of their town and how to serve others.
“That attitude, that’s what the festival is all about,” Burt said. “Its southern hospitality and Plant City is deep in tradition. Whoever we meet here, we try to show them that.”
First Maid Dallas Baker and court members Baylee Astin and Zoe Rasmussen all shared moments from the past week that they know will stay with them forever.
Rasmussen talked about the love she’s seen from the two women who volunteer to help them get ready each day. Baker shared stories of getting to know the people who are in charge of parking who greet them with a smile and kind word each morning. Astin smiled as she reflected on getting to greet and help some of the people who first came in the gate early Thursday morning.
Though they may be tired, the girls all agreed this has been one of the greatest experiences of their lives.
“This is just the beginning,” Berrios said. “I can’t wait to see what we’ll get to do with our community over the next year.”
