Queen Pageant
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 schools 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.
| KMLF Former Queens | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Betty Baxter | Eastern State College |
| 1932 | Margaret Jane Burton | Sayre College |
| 1933 | Marion Hagen | Eastern State College |
| 1934 | Mary Evelyn Walton | Western State College |
| 1935 | Jane Sanders | University of Louisville |
| 1936 | Roberta Baughman | Centre College |
| 1937 | Marjorie Galloway | Bowling Green College |
| 1938 | Jeanne Barker | University of Kentucky |
| 1939 | Dorothy Ramey | Transylvania College |
| 1940 | Virginia Smith | University of Kentucky |
| 1941 | Anne Austin | Cumberland College |
| 1942 | 1947 War Years, No Festival Held | |
| 1948 | Lyde Gooding | University of Kentucky |
| 1949 | Edith McClure | Centre College |
| 1950 | Patricia Parsons | Union College |
| 1951 | Betty Lyon | Transylvania College |
| 1952 | Micki Tye | Cumberland College |
| 1953 | Nell Wilson | Eastern State College |
| 1954 | Mary Ann Stice | Murray State College |
| 1955 | Sue Carolyn Lynch | Western State College |
| 1956 | Booker Andrews | University of Kentucky |
| 1957 | Chris Mattingly | Ursuline College |
| 1958 | Jane Buechler | Ursuline College |
| 1959 | Alice Chumbley | Western State College |
| 1960 | Lana Ruth Jones | Bowling Green College |
| 1961 | Marcia G. Chumbler | Murray State College |
| 1962 | June Moore | University of Kentucky |
| 1963 | Susan Morris | University of Louisville |
| 1964 | Jo Anne Russell | Murray State College |
| 1965 | Pam Casper | Ursuline College |
| 1966 | Janie Olmstead | University of Kentucky |
| 1967 | Mary Elizabeth Dedman | Centre College |
| 1968 | Carolyn Albert | Murray State University |
| 1969 | Kay Pinkley | Murray State University |
| 1970 | Marty Joe Payton | Eastern Kentucky University |
| 1971 | Wanda Sue Stiles | Midway Junior College |
| 1972 | Nancy Coplen | Murray State University |
| 1973 | Karen Hamilton | Eastern Kentucky University |
| 1974 | Beverly Lord | Georgetown College |
| 1975 | Sharon Lu Goldsberry | Morehead State University |
| 1976 | Linda Barnes | University of Kentucky |
| 1977 | Paula Kay Lewis | Transylvania University |
| 1978 | Ramona Ray Wortham | Western Kentucky University |
| 1979 | Dana Reasons | Kentucky Wesleyan College |
| 1980 | Libbi Justice Taylor | Transylvania University |
| 1981 | Elizabeth Anne Cole | University of Kentucky |
| 1982 | Kelly Michele Holdren | Morehead State University |
| 1983 | Ann Victoria Phillips | Pikeville College |
| 1984 | Melodye Carol Hughes | Western Kentucky University |
| 1985 | Tonya Lynette Sanders | Midway College |
| 1986 | Kimberely Johnson | Alice Lloyd College |
| 1987 | Maria Bryant | Cumberland College |
| 1988 | Stephanie Strohmier | University of Kentucky |
| 1989 | Billie Joe Hall | Transylvania University |
| 1990 | Laura Lynn Bradford | Eastern Kentucky University |
| 1991 | Paige Slawter | Northern Kentucky University |
| 1992 | Susan Allene Fruits | University of Louisville |
| 1993 | Tanya Lynne Newberry | Northern Kentucky University |
| 1994 | Christin Quint | Murray State University |
| 1995 | Jennifer Hope Langford | Murray State University |
| 1996 | Farrah Bates | Alice Lloyd College |
| 1997 | Brittany Lea Johnson | University of Kentucky |
| 1998 | Emily Lyn Arnold | Georgetown College |
| 1999 | Holly Rowland Young | University of Kentucky |
| 2000 | Kristy Marie Nelson | Kentucky Wesleyan College |
| 2001 | Devon Jane Adams | Lindsey Wilson College |
| 2002 | Lisa Ann Chesnut | Western Kentucky University |
| 2003 | Jamie Nichole Blair | Morehead State University |
| 2004 | Kacie Elizabeth McAfee | Eastern Kentucky University |
| 2005 | Chelsee Linn Thompson | Murray State University |
| 2006 | Hope Renee Hamilton | Kentucky Wesleyan College |
| 2007 | Sarah Elisabeth Hargis | Centre College |
| 2008 | Kimberlay Ashton Horne | Georgetown College |
| 2009 | Margaret Carol McKay | Georgetown College |
| 2010 | Racheal Hunt | Eastern Kentucky University |
| 2011 | Jefra Kaysi Bland | University of Kentucky |
| 2012 | Jaime Elizabeth Horne | Georgetown College |
