Annistyn Griffin was crowned queen of the 89th Florida Strawberry Festival in the annual pageant held at the festival grounds on January 20.
Annistyn was selected from a field of 17 contestants. Taylor Gregory was chosen as first maid along with court members Zion Keese, SaraGrace Sparkman and Abigail Spivey.
“I’m so honored and ready to give this next year of my life to Plant City,” said Annistyn. “I’m looking forward to interacting with every single guest that walks through the festival gates and leave an impact like they did for me.”
Annistyn is the daughter of Artis and Jennifer Griffin. She is currently a junior at Durant High School and dual enrolled at Hillsborough Community College. She serves as a member of National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, Junior Class Council, Student Government Association and the Durant Senior FFA. She plans to pursue a career in medical sonography to specialize in neurosonography.
The Florida Strawberry Festival Queen’s Competition is organized by the Plant City Lions Club and is composed of five facets of competition: a personal interview, onstage speaking, casual wear, evening wear and an impromptu question.
“We especially would like to thank the Plant City Lions Club for sponsoring this contest and for all the time and hard work they put into making this a successful event,” said Florida Strawberry Festival Chairman Danny Coton. “I want to congratulate all the contestants tonight. They put in so much time and effort in preparing for tonight, and it is our hope that no matter the outcome, maybe that at the end of the night, they have all had fun, they all made some new friends and they have enjoyed their participation in this event.”
Also crowned were the winners of the annual Junior Royalty Pageant. One hundred and twenty-one registered contestants from 5-15 years old competed in four categories according to their ages: baroness, duchess, princess and queen. From the top five finalists in each category, a first maid and a winner were chosen.
Brooke Browning was selected as Junior Royalty Queen; Ava Bikowski was chosen as Junior Royalty Princess; Kezley Salinas was chosen as Junior Royalty Duchess; and Reagan Causey was chosen as Junior Royalty Baroness.
The queen and court make over 80 appearances representing the Florida Strawberry Festival and the Plant City community and can be seen at festival events and at community events throughout the year.
The Junior Royalty winners will represent the Florida Strawberry Festival throughout the year also, making appearances at events and in the annual Plant City Christmas Parade and Grand Parade during the festival.
For more information, visit www.flstrawberryfestival.com, Facebook, Instagram or X, formerly known as Twitter (#berryfest24).
