The Florida Strawberry Festival has always supported a Queen’s Exhibit that honors the current queen and her court. For many years, the exhibit was housed in the center of the Parke Building. In 2015, the exhibit was moved into the newly constructed Neighborhood Village, where photos of all former queens and courts were displayed in beautiful glass front cases, beginning with the 1930 Queen, Charlotte Rosenburg. In addition, memorabilia, candid photos, and action shots were displayed of former queens and their courts.
In 2024, the Queen’s Exhibit was moved to the newest addition to the Florida Strawberry Festival, The History Museum and Queen’s Exhibit, found in the former Milton E. Hull Armory Building, in the center of the festival grounds. “The current queen’s dress that she wore on the night of her crowning is on display, along with pictures of the queens and courts throughout the years, from 1930 to present,” said Co-Chair of The Queen’s Exhibit, Dodie White. “The Queen’s Exhibit this year will include pictures of our 2025 Queen and her Court: Queen Gabriela, First Maid Macey Riley, Court Members Olivia Lawton, Abigail Mullis, and Makinley Jensen. The exhibit will also include the beautiful black gown Queen Gabriela wore on the night she was crowned.”
On Monday night prior to the festival’s opening, sisters and Queen’s Exhibit Co-Chairs, Dodie White and Marsha Passmore, host a Queen & Court Reveal, that allows the girls, along with their families and the festival directors and staff, to see the finished Queen Exhibit in a private showing before it is open to the public. “The showing resonates with the queen and her court to the importance of their role to the Florida Strawberry Festival as well as the community, “Passmore said. “They will forever be included in the royal history of the event.”
The Queen’s Exhibit has become a festival favorite since its opening. “We’ve heard positive feedback for both the Queen’s Exhibit and the new museum,” White said. “The Queen Exhibit is a must-see for hundreds of festival attendees and as co-chairs for the exhibit, we are honored when someone takes the time to let us know how they enjoyed seeing it. We want to keep the exhibit fresh, with something new every year. This year it was timely to single out 1993 Strawberry Festival Queen, Ashley Moody, as she was recently appointed as a United States Senator from Florida.”
The Florida Strawberry Festival is an icon for Plant City and the surrounding areas. It has grown from a small county fair to now being one of the top fairs in the United States. “Being a part of creating the exhibit for the Florida Strawberry Festival is something we look forward to each year because it touches so many lives,” Passmore said. “Multiply the five ladies who make up the queen and her court each year and their personal families and friends, by the thousands of guests who see and enjoy the history that’s been made since 1930. You can’t help but get excited by knowing this exhibit has touched many thousands of people in a positive way.”
The Florida Strawberry Festival runs from February 27 – March 9. Make sure to stop by The History Museum and Queen’s Exhibit while you’re at the festival.
