The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
ROYAL COUPLE CROWNED
Laurel King and Queen honored during annual event, festivities
WINSTED » The 83rd annual Laurel Festival culminated Sunday afternoon with the crowning of the new Laurel King and Queen, chosen this year among a group of 10 college-bound and high-achieving Winsted teenagers.
The longtime three-day festival, named after the mountain flower that grew so abundantly in the 1930s that it gave the town the moniker “The Laurel City,” traditionally starts on a Friday with the Laurel Ball at Winsted banquet hall Crystal Peak to inaugurate the candidates with dinner, dancing and a silent auction.
The candidates are then interviewed by Laurel Festival judges for specific criteria on Saturday. The weekend culminates with the Laurel Parade down Main Street in Winsted and the crowning of the year’s Laurel King and Queen at East End Park.
“It’s a great group of kids,” said Laurel Commission Chairwoman Holly Cassaday prior to the Laurel Parade and the crowning as she assisted in decorating the Park’s bandstand with ribbons and flower where the crowning would occur. “Any of them would be great as king and queen.”
Cassaday added, “It is a longstanding tradition of the town. It is a scholarship pageant.”
The two-member Laurel Commission, which includes Cassaday and treasurer Michelle Hintz, as well as several volunteers, organized the event. She explained that Laurel Festival judges John Carroll, Darcie Silverio, Michael Rooke, Debra Mace and Anna Keeney, all living in other towns in order to maintain objectivity, had judged all the contestants based on the criteria of personality, presence, achievements and extracurricular activities and their interview on Saturday morning. Contestants must be college-bound Winsted residents, she said.
Cassaday added the winning Laurel King and Queen and their two runners-up shared the combined $4,700 in college scholarships this year. The crowned king and queen are obligated to serve as dignitaries for one year, appearing at local events such as the Winchester Grange’s Strawberry Festival, Winsted’s Pet Parade and, of course, next year’s Laurel Parade.
At 2 p.m. the Laurel Parade proceeded along the 1.6-mile route running from Meadow Street to East End Park. The parade was led by bagpipe player Ken Storrs of Winsted, followed by several cars and floats carrying the Laurel Court judges; the king and queen contestants; local and state politicians; The Gilbert School Marching Band; five fire trucks from the Winsted Fire Department; and the Mattatuck Drum Band, a fife-and-drum corps from Waterbury.
A possibly-future Laurel Court consisting of the Antlers Youth Group (sponsored by the
Winsted Elks Lodge No. 844), with Winsted children, rode upon a float pulled by a large truck.
Despite the scorching heat, about 100 people watched the parade while sitting in lawn chairs, in the back of parked pick-up trucks and upon motorcycles in front of Northwest Community Bank, Morsel Munk sports store and other store fronts.
At East End Park’s bandstand, the ceremony began with the national anthem being sung by Debbie Storrs, Katie Wood and Lynn Whittaker. Cassaday emceed the show, introducing Winsted Mayor Candy Perez, who thanked contestants and the audience for being part of this town tradition.
Eight Laurel Queen candidates and two Laurel King candidates were introduced to the audience, accompanied on stage by dressed-upas-royals children members of the Antlers Youth Group.
JoJo Harrington, 2016 Laurel Queen, wearing a crown and a red cape, spoke about how the scholarship helped with her education at Northwest Connecticut Community College in Winsted. A member of the college’s student senate and the History Association Club, Harrington advised Laurel Crown candidates “to live life with a passion and be happy.”
Next, the 2016 and firstever Laurel King Ryan Weiss took the stage. He reported that the scholarship assisted in his pursuit of his animal science degree at the Waterbury campus of the University of Connecticut and his eventual goal of becoming a physician’s assistant. A longtime member of the Winsted Area Ambulance Association, where he serves as an emergency medical technician as well as captain, he praised the “significant impact” the contest had on him. He will also work for the Winchester Police Department as a public safety dispatcher.
Following parade-float winners’ announcements, the Laurel Court winners were announced. Last year’s king and queen passed their crowns to the winners.
The 2017 Laurel Court included: Dylan Thomson (Laurel King); Grace Valickis (Laurel Queen); Zachary Lafreniere (Laurel King runner-up); and Anhthy Pham (Laurel Queen runner-up).
Thomson, a junior at The Gilbert School, is a member of the National Honor Society and a three-sport school athlete, serving as captain in two of the sports.
Valickis, a Gilbert School senior, is the captain of three varsity-sport teams and participates in several clubs, including the National Honor Society, Peers and The Leadership Council.
Lafreniere, as senior at The Gilbert School, serves as co-editor of the class yearbook and was captain of the school swim team.
Pham, a senior at The Gilbert School, served as class president for four years and has won the Harvard Book Prize, the Rensselaer Medal Award and the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award.
Gilbert School classmate Dylan Amery was present at the ceremony, commenting, “The decorations were great, and the kids were all deserving.”
Audience members Joe Perrault and Margo Honger attended with their dogs Emma, a 5-year-old Yorkshire terrier mix, and Finnegan, a 10-month-old Chihuahua-Pomeranian mix.
“It’s a beautiful day,” Perrault said.
Honger added, “We always try to attend, as we live across the street.”
Joe Gangi of Torrington took photos in the front row. His granddaughter was among the Antlers Youth Group. He added, “It’s a great event.”