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It Was A Royal Good Time

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By DAVE NICHOLSON

dnicholson@tampatrib.com

Published: January 14, 2009

PLANT CITY - Kristen Smith's dream come true - her reign as Florida Strawberry Festival queen - draws to a close at a pageant Saturday night.

She spent the last year wearing the crown that so many Plant City area girls covet. The lifelong resident said she has appreciated the opportunity to wear it and to represent her community and the Florida Strawberry Festival.

"It's a wonderful experience and a blessing," said Smith, who will be a junior this semester at Southeastern University.

Smith, 20, said she's sad to see her time come to an end, but she's looking forward to getting back to a normal schedule. Her year as queen has been a whirlwind of activities, from parades to speaking engagements at local schools. She's also remained active in her church, Bethany Baptist, and worked part-time as a waitress.

Smith said she has grown close to her court members, first maid Shaunie Leigh Surrency, Britney Balliet, Jaclyn Raulerson and Amanda Nicole Sparkman, in their year together. Smith said they enjoyed a lot of happy times together, including meeting with celebrities who performed at the 2008 Florida Strawberry Festival.

A favorite was country singer Blake Shelton, who clowned around with Smith and her court members backstage.

"That was cool. That was really neat," she said.

There were other surprises along the way. Smith and her court had some national exposure when former Plant City resident and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Hull wrote an article in The New Yorker about the pageant and the town. The magazine article was a largely nostalgic piece about Plant City, including Hull's childhood memories.

The article had kind words for Smith.

"When her spirits flagged, she read Scripture. She drove a pickup truck, attended a Christian college, worked part time as a waitress and wanted to spend the rest of her life in Plant City raising a family. Kristen Smith disproved the theory that the strawberry queen had to be the well-connected daughter of a town scion; her father repaired washing machines for a living. She looked like a young Bobbie Gentry, and she was just what Plant City was looking for in these modern times."

Smith said her time as queen went all too quickly. "I didn't realize how fast it's going," she said.

Smith's final moment in the spotlight will come when she takes a walk down the runway before her successor is selected by a panel of judges. She's the one who will place a crown on the winner's head.

Thirty-two young women - including Smith's twin sister Lauren - are scheduled to compete for the title in a pageant that starts at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Tomlin Middle School auditorium, 501 N. Woodrow Wilson St. "It's the largest number we've had in many years," said Charles Harris, a member of the Lions Club, sponsor of the pageant.

Harris said he's not sure why the pageant attracted more contestants this year. By comparison, 25 women competed in 2008.

"It's really, really going to be fantastic," Harris said of the pageant.

The pageant will have a couple of changes, one subtle, the other apparent. This is the first competition since the pageant sponsor raised academic standards and abolished the swimsuit competition in favor of casual wear.

Pageant officials received complaints that some contestants were wearing swimwear that was too revealing, even though they were limited to a selection of one-piece suits. The club said it wasn't bowing to pressure but decided it was time to make a switch due to the changing times. Harris said the decision has been well received.

"I really haven't received any complaints about any of the changes," he said.

The outgoing queen said she has mixed feeling about the change in the competition. It's actually harder to select casual wear, said Smith, who helped her sister shop for Saturday's competition.

The contestants picked swimwear from a limited number of styles approved by pageant officials, so the choice was easier, she said.

In addition to the switch to casual wear, the pageant also is raising academic standards for contestants, from a 2.75 grade-point average to a 3.0 GPA.

The pageant is for women who live in the Plant City area who are 16 to 20 years old. The queen and court receive prizes that include scholarships and locally, they are treated like celebrities, and play prominent roles at the strawberry festival.

Smith, who plans to be a guidance counselor, said her advice for the new queen would include to clear her schedule and to expect to receive a lot of invitations to community events. She would recommend attending as many as possible because, "you won't get to do it again."

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Florida Strawberry Festival queen's pageant

WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Tomlin Middle School, 501 N. Woodrow Wilson St., Plant City

TICKETS: $10; for sale 6 p.m. Friday at Tomlin; any remaining tickets will be sold at the door the day of the pageant

A Busy Year

The duties of the Florida Strawberry Festival queen and court don't end with the festival. Here's a few of the events queen Kristen Smith and her court members attended during the year:

•Little Miss Plant City pageant

•American Cancer Society's Relay for Life

•South Florida Baptist Hospital Foundation's Diamonds & Denim fundraiser

•Pioneer Heritage Day

•Great American Teach-In

•Fight Against Drugs walk

•Plant City Christian Women's Connection meeting

•The queen and court spoke to a total of about 1,500 local elementary school students on such topics as the importance of education and saying no to drugs and alcohol.

Reporter Dave Nicholson can be reached at (813) 865-4432.

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