By Scarlet Thalman
BCR Correspondent
NILES, MI — The annual Apple Festival weekend opened on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. This marked the 53rd year of fall fun and community improvement for one of the biggest festivals in Michigan. The festival began in 1972 after a group of volunteers — aiming to promote, unite, and cherish the apple harvest — decided to establish an annual festival. As the festival has continued, many new programs have been added on to effectively reach the founders’ goal, one notably being the Apple Festival royalty which began in 1998.
The Apple Festival royalty program has seen great evolution, and the royalty, consisting of a queen and her court, now serve as ambassadors of the event and the wider community. These roles are integral aspects of the festival and require a variety of rules and regulations that individuals must follow to ensure the royalty keeps up their service commitments and appearances. To guarantee the integrity of these positions, the Apple Festival Board establishes formal contracts with each member of the Royal Court. These contracts function as binding agreements, with guidelines for conduct, appearance standards, and mandatory participation in festival activities. Some of these rules include “no inappropriate or rude statements/messages/photos” on social media or other platforms and no speaking ill of any person involved with the pageant, festival volunteers, or in public throughout a person’s reign. The board believes these rules are important to ensure the royalty maintains a respectful and professional image during their time associated with the festival.
The contract, or signed agreement, is important to the integrity of the festival and is successful based on the mutual obligations and consideration, enforceable through the loss of festival-related benefits, meaning there are consequences if they breach the contract. The mutual agreement between the board and the queen or court member is on the basis that these rules of service and conduct will be followed.
The festival follows a three-strike policy in regard to the royalty, with strike one being a verbal warning, strike two being a written warning and potential loss of half the scholarship, and strike three being a formal review by the committee which could result in a full loss of crown, banner, and prizes. This policy does not apply to behavior that threatens the reputation of the Apple Festival — including criminal activity or serious violations of conduct standards — and in those cases the member could be immediately removed.
Donna Dodge, a member of the Honorary Board, described the role of these contracts in terms of service; she stated, “Our contracts expect girls to attend the events Apple Fest weekend and all parades. Anything else is beyond,” and according to her, the girls do go beyond. Outside of their required work, the departing royalty of 2024 has served their community through many service projects and community events. Members including Miss Apple Festival Audrey Kuen, Jr. Miss Lillian Justis, 1st Runner-Up Jr. Miss Iyanina Ledesma, and Jr. Miss Congeniality Alexis Kidwell, have especially gone beyond expectations. On the thirteenth of August, the girls made an effort to walk from Fourth Street to Plym Park, picking up two bags of trash. This is just one example of their commitment to community service with other initiatives through their reign also going beyond.
These acts of service demonstrate how the 2024 court embodied what it means to be a representative of the community, and as we go into the 2025 season, the new court has the opportunity to build on that foundation and continue representing the festival with pride. By fulfilling these obligations under their signed agreements, they ensure the legal and contractual integrity of the Royalty program is carried forward.