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2009 Strawberry Queen Is A Hometown Girl

TBO.com photo by KEVIN BRADY

Lauren Der is crowned queen of the 2009 Florida Strawberry Queen pageant at Tomlin Middle School Jan. 17.

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By BOB ROSS

Special Sections correspondent

Published: February 17, 2009

When 32 contestants heard the judges' decision on Jan. 17, no one was more shocked than Lauren Der.

"I was extremely surprised," says the 2009 Florida Strawberry Festival Queen. "Going into it, you never know what's going to happen. You prepare as much as you can, but you don't really know what the judges are looking for. When there are 32 contestants, the odds are pretty strong."

The second try was charmed for the lifelong Plant City resident.

"I went out for it last year and I didn't make it onto the court," she recalls. That turned out to be a lucky break, she explains, "because if I had been on the court last year I could not have entered this year."

The experience was helpful, she says. "It helps to know a little bit more about what to expect. The first time you do the best you can, but the second time you know more about how things are run. So I felt more prepared."

In a sense, the 19-year-old pageant queen prepared for this honor most of her young life. A lifelong Plant City resident, she has been active in the Florida Strawberry Festival since she was a little girl, having appeared in the baby parade. In high school, Der was active in the Future Farmers of America, and she's now studying at Hillsborough Community College.

"I want to get a degree in agricultural communications," she says. "My major was animal science but I'm a typical college student so it changed. Eventually, I want to work in public relations for an agricultural company."

Der also is involved in a children's ministry at her church, and she made it clear during the pageant that she represents old-fashioned virtues dear to the hearts in her community.

When asked in the semi-finals what excited her about possibly becoming queen, she said it would be an honor to represent an area where morals and values are important. Talk to her for a few minutes, and you can tell she means it. Speaking in a mild Southern accent, the honey-blond beauty only has positive things to say about her hometown and her experiences in it.

But she recognizes the title carries serious obligations.

"The next few weeks are going to be completely crazy," she says. "We have so many things to go to." The queen and her court — First Maid Sara Beth Newsome and court members Megan Cochran, Joclyn Emerson and Morgan Feaster — have to appear at all major festival events during its run from Thursday through March 8, introducing headliners, greeting visitors and such.

Until their reign ends in January, the strawberry royalty also will make public appearances. "About one or two a month," Der says.

Despite her full calendar, Der remains true to her school work. "It's not that bad," she says about maintaining her duties and her course load. "I talk to my professors and they are very understanding about working with me. They really help me out." Because her campus is in Plant City, "the professors all know what the festival is all about."

And because she has grown up in the strawberry-famed town, Der knows many of the other young women her age in the pageant.

"I went to school with a lot of them. The first maid and one court member are lifelong friends. That helped a lot," she says, about making the experience a happy one.

The feelings were mutual. Der is the first Strawberry Festival queen ever voted Miss Congeniality by fellow contestants.

"Some people are surprised," she notes, "because they have an image of pageants being kind of cutthroat. But everybody was very nice and supportive. Sure, it was a competition, but we all tried to help each other, because we knew the next person was just as nervous as we were."

The Miss Congeniality award "was a thrill. It's such an honor from the other girls, and I really appreciate it."

Der represents another bit of festival history: She's the first winner with a sister as a previous winner. Erica Der won the title six years ago.

Did big sister give Der any advice?

"She told me one big thing. You hear it a lot, but the most important thing is just to be yourself."
Lauren Der hopes her queenly experience helps her with future ambitions. "The Strawberry queen has to do a lot of speaking, and I think in any career it's helpful to have that ability. And because this community is very involved in agriculture, I hope to get to know more people in the industry."

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