For 75 years, the Pennsylvania Apple Queen program has promoted Adams County’s apple industry while helping young women build confidence, leadership and public-speaking skills, and a stronger connection to their community.
The Adams County Fruit Growers Association will mark the anniversary this weekend at the National Apple Harvest Festival in Biglerville. About 40 former queens are expected to return for the celebration, which will include a history exhibit, a Saturday reception and Sunday’s coronation.
The program began in 1951 as Apple Blossom Sunday, held in April at the South Mountain Fairgrounds. Growers gave visitors free apples and juice and shared information about the industry, said coordinator Sandy Kime. The event later moved to the Biglerville High School auditorium as interest grew, then returned to the fairgrounds and expanded into a weekend program with food, vendors and bus tours.
In the early years at the fairgrounds, the queen was crowned outdoors and arrived in a convertible. “Over the years, the queens even arrived by helicopters at times,” Kime said. Rain eventually moved the coronation indoors.
In the late 1960s, the Upper Adams Jaycees and Adams County Fruit Growers created the National Miss Apple Queen USA competition, bringing state apple queens together. The program ended in 1985 because of insufficient funding. Adams County’s Deborah Lott won the National Apple Harvest Queen title in 1977.
The Apple Blossom Weekend became the Apple Blossom Festival in 1988. Its final Apple Queen contest and coronation took place in 2016. After the festival ended, the contest moved to the National Apple Harvest Festival, where the coronation is now held on the final Sunday.
Kime, a former first runner-up, has worked with the program for more than 40 years and is its longest-serving coordinator. “It’s a big blessing to help shape young women,” she said.
The program selects a high school junior to allow her to fulfill her duties before leaving for college. The queen represents the apple industry at events including Apple Crunch Day, the Farm Show, the PA Host Dinner, the Fruit Growers Banquet and both weekends of the Apple Harvest Festival.
Current queen Sophia Taylor said fall is the busiest part of her reign and may require missing school for promotional events. “You must be a people person and willing to work with all ages,” she said. Taylor added that she has enjoyed meeting people and teaching them about apples.
The queen receives a $1,000 scholarship, which Kime said may lead to additional scholarship opportunities. Applications are available at Adams County high schools and are accepted through Sept. 12. The program has also added an Apple Princess, giving another young participant a chance to learn about agriculture and community traditions.
This year marks the program’s 75th anniversary, though there have been 72 coronations. “Pennsylvania’s Apple Queen program is now the second-oldest commodity in the state,” Kime said. “The Maple Queen program in PA is celebrating its 76th year.”
The anniversary exhibit in the festival auditorium will feature photo albums from throughout the program’s history. Former queens have also been invited to share written memories. At Sunday’s coronation, past queens will be introduced and invited to walk across the stage. Kime said all but four of the former queens are still living.
“It’s a wonderful legacy here in Adams County to have the fruit growers continue this tradition,” Kime said.
The Apple Queen display is also available to view at the Apple Museum in Biglerville. What began as a way for local growers to promote their apples has become a generations-long tradition connecting young women with agriculture and their community.
