Madison Messenger - June 16th, 2019

www.madisonmessengernews.com June 16, 2019 - MADISON MESSENGER - Page 9
London Strawberry Festival
Loving every minute of her year as festival queen
To be a queen doesn't mean you have to
be the prettiest or wear a crown or own the
most glamorous dress. You just have to believe
you're a queen and you are a queen!
For starters, I am Constance Baker, your
2018 London Strawberry Festival Queen. I
have amazing memories from so many different
festivals and organizations this past
year that will always stick in my mind, but
none of this could have happened if it wasn’t
for the night of the crowning.
The Wednesday before the pageant, I
was a bouncing ball of jitters, trying three
variations of my interview outfit. I asked my
mother and father their
opinions, but neither
would give me an answer.
Finally, I decided
on my first choice. I
gave my furry brother,
Thomas, a hug for good
luck, and I was off to
the races. I stayed a bit
back in the chairs as I
waited for my number
to be called. Being one
of the first people there,
I got to see all the other
nervous girls come in.
Since I had done this
three times already, I
knew what to expect but it didn’t stop my
nerves from acting up. I talked with my
mother as I tried to distract myself from the
upcoming judging. When I saw that one of
the young ladies was so nervous and worried,
I walked over to her and started talking
to her about random things. After I gave
her a little pep talk, it was my turn for the
interview. Afterwards, I went over to her,
gave her a hug and wished her luck for the
following day.
I may have participated in this pageant
for four years now, but Thursday is always
the night that stirs up the most butterflies.
I started up the stairs to the stage, hoping
every step of the way I won’t trip. Once I
was on stage, doing my turns and answering
my fishbowl questions, everything hit
me hard and fast. I was in this again. I’m
not a typical pageant girl. I’m soft-spoken,
shy, a typical tomboy. You can almost always
catch me wearing a Marvel T-shirt
and jeans.
After the parade on Saturday, it was
time to crown the queen. Sage and I waited.
I don’t think I have ever felt so nervous.
Standing on stage, my stomach in knots, I
heard a long silence. Then they announced
the attendant and queen. We were both in
shock. As we were crowned, we had our first
hug as “Partners in Crown.”
Starting off the year with my court of little
berries in tow, we went to our first luncheon
as 2018 royalty. Throughout my reign,
Representing the London
Strawberry Festival has given
me an amazing outlook on what
it means to be queen. It’s not
about having a crown or sash;
it’s about being the best version
of me. Show other young girls
and boys that no matter who you
are, what you look like, or what
you like, you can do whatever
you set your mind to.
–Constance Baker,
2018 Strawberry Festival queen
I took goofy photos with close friends from
previous years and met new friends. If you
know me without my crown, you know I can
be a geeky, nervous person. This opportunity
has helped me in amazing ways. This
program has given me a voice. It has allowed
me to overcome my fear of speaking
in front of crowds and a chance to speak on
the spot without preparation.
Being an only child, I’ve never had the
chance to look out for a sibling or experience
sibling rivalry, but this year, I have a whole
strawberry patch full of younger sisters to
cherish and annoy. These ladies have given
me a year full of great
memories, Dabbing on
the float with my attendant
Sage. Making buttons
with Little Miss
attendant Cayla and
Junior Miss second attendant
Maddie. Dancing
at the fall car show
with Junior Miss first
attendant Abby. Walking
around the bowling
alley with Junior Miss
Morgan with our hair
braided together. Making
funny faces in every
photo with Young Miss
Shaylyn. Looking for candy after every parade
with Young Miss Attendant Maria.
Doing cheers on top of a sunroof while riding
in the parade with Little Miss Isabella.
Shortcake Sofia would do her hair like mine
and always be by my side. She was like my
mini me. I can now say that I have sisters,
the best sisters an only child could have.
When riding in parades, I loved the
smiles of the little girls and boys who would
turn to their parents and yell, “Look,
Mommy. It’ss a princess!” Or when people
in the crowd would “bow to the queen.” I
loved interacting with the crowd, making
sure I waved and smiled to everyone.
Some of my favorite festivals I have traveled
to this year are the Moonshine Festival,
Greene Countrie Towne Festival and Wild
Turkey Festival. I have met quite a few
queens and attendants at these festivals
and others. I will always cherish these
friendships and hope to stay in touch.
I want to give a special thanks to my
mother who has helped me in almost every
aspect of this journey by doing my hair,
even trying new styles, no matter how they
turned out. Using countless bottles of hair
spray to try to keep my evil hair up. Going
through tons of bobby pins to hold the crown
down. Always trying to cheer me up when I
didn’t feel my best in my dresses. Drawing
strawberries on the car. And waking me up
super early, even though I’m not the happiest
person in the morning. I want to thank
Constance Baker
my father who had to wake up at the
strangest hours to chauffeur me to the different
festivals. He was never afraid to tell
me when my crown or sash was crooked. He
even bought me more dresses and shoes
when my mother wasn't looking. Holly,
thank you for being patient with all my
wacky ideas for this year and putting up
with my weirdness. Kevin, you always managed
to make the girls and I laugh. There
were definitely days where we needed it.
Representing the London Strawberry
Festival has given me an amazing outlook
on what it means to be queen. It’s not about
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having a crown or sash; it’s about being the
best version of me. Show other young girls
and boys that no matter who you are, what
you look like, or what you like, you can do
whatever you set your mind to. I hope I
made a good impression on every girl who
took a picture with me, “the princess.”
With this amazing year, I will cherish
every memory and all of the new friendships
I have made. Thank you to everyone
who has made this year special. From
crowning day until now, I will forever and
always be your 2018 London Miss Strawberry
Queen!
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