Queens

Colleges and universities across the Commonwealth of Kentucky are invited to send a representative to The Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival each Memorial Day weekend. It is left to the school's discretion as to how a candidate is selected. Private homes in Pineville open their doors to host candidates and escorts for the weekend and all meals are supplied by the festival organization. There are picnics, receptions, dances, a parade, the Coronation at Pine Mountain State Resort Amphitheater, a grand ball, and a culminating breakfast to honor the new queen who wears a crown made of live mountain laurel blooms and carries a hand-made bouquet, a tradition many years old.