Plant City, Florida -- The 80th Florida Strawberry Festival Queen was crowned Saturday night at the annual competition in Plant City.
Samantha Sun was crowned 2015 Florida Strawberry Festival Queen from a field of 15 contestants along with First Maid Deanna Rodriguez and court members Payton Astin, Emily Benoit and Kellen Morris.
"We are proud to have Samantha as our new queen," said General Manager Paul Davis.
Sun is the daughter of Jim and Shari Sun and is a 17-year-old junior at Plant City High School where she is involved in Civinettes and Youth Alive and is a member of the tennis team.
The Florida Strawberry Festival Queen's Competition has crowned the 80th Strawberry is organized by the Plant City Lions Club and is composed of five facets of competition: a personal interview, on-stage speaking, casual wear, evening wear and an impromptu question.
Throughout the year, the queen and court make over 80 appearances as they represent the Florida Strawberry Festival and the Plant City community. They can be seen at festival events throughout the grounds, on stage before each of the 22 headline entertainment shows and at community events throughout the year.
"Samantha, Deanna, Payton, Emily and Kellen will all be terrific ambassadors for our festival," said Davis.
The Florida Strawberry Festival is an 11-day community event celebrating the strawberry harvest of Eastern Hillsborough County. Each year, over 500,000 visitors enjoy the Festival's headline entertainment, youth livestock shows, exhibits of commerce and, of course, its world-famous strawberry shortcake.
The 2015 Florida Strawberry Festival, inviting patrons to "Come Join The Party!" will be held Feb. 26 through March 8, 2015 in Plant City, Fla. For more information, visit www.flstrawberryfestival.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (#berryfest15).
