Strawberry Festival Pageants

The Strawberry Festival Queen

From 1974-1980 our little village of Bolivar held a Strawberry Festival downtown on Canal Street (formerly Central Avenue). The town merchants sponsored this event which, according to the local newspaper, brought in approximately 40,000 people at its highest point. The Festival started with a Queen’s Ball on Friday night. Each year would bring a new Strawberry Festival Queen at the end of the Ball. Contestants must have been living in Bolivar, be nominated and at least 65 years old.

In 2005, Richard LeBold and community leaders revived the Bolivar Strawberry Festival, and with it, the Strawberry Festival Queen contest under the Bolivar Renaissance Association. (Now Bolivar Main Street) In lieu of a Queen contest this bicentennial year, we are featuring all of our past queens since 2005.

Note: Strawberry Festival did not occur in the years of 2019 (downtown construction) and 2020 (COVID).

Queen photos courtesy of Mike and Alice Ritenour, Crystal Annette Simers and Holly Thouvenin

Click the image above for a larger version of many past Strawberry Festival program covers that we’ve been able to retrieve.

MISS BERRY PRINCESS

Sponsored by The Commercial & Savings Bank with hosts Kerry Miller and Kathryn Cooper, the 2025 Miss Berry Princess Pageant (ages 7 to 9) was held Saturday, June 7th, 11:00am at the South Tent.

Miss Berry Princess is chosen by a random drawing.

Congratulations to 2025 winner, Abigail Skelley!

Miss Berry Princesses Ava Smith, winner Abigail Skelley, Kesleigh Nelson

Harper Brown, Little Miss Shortcake 2025