OCP file photo — Asparagus Queen 2023 Emma Woller, at left, and Runner Up Chelsi Walicki
By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
HART — The Asparagus Queen program is undergoing some positive changes under new leadership.
The Asparagus Queen reigns over the National Asparagus Festival (NAF) that takes place annually in Oceana County, celebrating the early summer harvest. Known as the “Asparagus Capital of the World,” Oceana County is the top producer of asparagus in Michigan, which is a leading producer in the country.
“I’m excited — we’ve got some new things happening with the NAF,” said Queen Coordinator Kendra Larios-Mendez, who recently took on the new role. Larios-Mendez reigned as queen in 2018 and knows the intricacies of being asparagus royalty.
The queen will no longer be required to attend as many parades and events around the state as she has in the past. “We decided one of the things we wanted to focus on with the queen was making her our local queen again,” she said. It is a change the NAF Board of Directors made in an effort to scale down the long list of appearances the queen was required to make throughout the summer.
The focus will be on local events, such as Pentwater’s Homecoming Parade in August, the White Lake Fourth of July Parade, Fremont’s National Baby Food Festival Parade in July and of course the NAF parade in mid June. “The things that people are excited to see her at in our local areas.” There will be less focus on events located further distances away, such as Traverse City’s National Cherry Festival, Holland’s Tulip Time Festival and Grand Haven’s Coast Guard Festival. However, if the queen or the runner-up is available to go, they can participate. “Any events that the queen or runner up come up with on their own — as long as they’re presented to the board and given board approval — she is able to attend those as well.”
The new changes come after a year when there was not enough interest to have an Asparagus Queen. It was the first time in nearly 50 years — with the exception of 2020 due to COVID-19 — an Asparagus Queen was not crowned for the asparagus festival.
“I think not having a queen last year woke the community up a little bit and made them realize if we want to continue participating in this event that we’ve grown up loving as a tradition in this community that we’re going to have to step up and start helping out — volunteering and doing some sponsorships and fundraising. We can’t have an asparagus queen if we don’t have any girls putting applications in.”
Instead of having a queen pageant like in past years, there will be a crowning ceremony. “We’re trying to scale things down a little bit and grow,” said Larios-Mendez. Candidates will interview with the judges but in a more private setting. “We’re planning that after those interviews the judges will get together and make their decision.” After the decision has been publicly announced, the crowning ceremony will take place the night before the festival — this year it’s Friday, June 13. “It’s going to be less pressure I think, and it will be a nice way to kick off the festival weekend.” Details are still being ironed out.
“They don’t have to put on a ball gown and get all dressed up; stare at each other for hours; and they don’t have to stand on a stage and have a spotlight shining in their eyes. I know that can be a deterrent for some people wanting to run. Some people hear the word ‘pageant,’ and automatically people start having heart palpitations.”
They will wear their gowns in the parades, however. This year’s NAF Joan Glover Royale Parade is set for Saturday, June 14, at 2 p.m. in Hart.
The queen will receive a $1,000 scholarship to use toward continuing education or as a contribution to a local non-profit approved by the NAF Board of Directors.
Applicants must be female graduating high school students aged 18 or older; a resident of Oceana, Mason, Newaygo or Muskegon counties; and should have some knowledge or experience in the asparagus industry, although it’s not required if they’re willing to learn.
The deadline to apply for reigning as the 2025 Asparagus Queen is April 1.
To view the requirements, CLICK HERE
To apply, CLICK HERE
For more information about the festival, visit the National Asparagus Festival website.
“We’re trying to rebuild, so that we can grow again. I feel like there is new excitement.”
___________________________________
Please Support Local News
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news.
The easiest way is to sign up for an automatic monthly payment on Paypal. Click this link.
Alternative methods:
We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
If you would like to support MCP/OCP but do not wish to receive daily emails, please consider sending a contribution to any of the above methods or pay by Venmo (@masoncountypress).
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2025, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.
fb.com/stars
.jpg)
