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Memorable pageant

Sunday proved to be a very special night for the Thorne family and friends after the 2012 Strawberry Festival Queen, Sarah Thorne, received a marriage proposal on-stage just before her sister, Eva Leigh-Ann Thorne, was named 2013 Strawberry Festival Teen Queen. Hannah Noel McComas of Kenna was named as the 2013 queen-elect.

Tyler Sherman proposed to Sarah Thorne as she took the ceremonial final walk on stage as the 2012 Strawberry Festival Queen. She said yes to the proposal. Sarah Thorne and the 2012 teen queen will continue their reign as royalty until the coronation on May 15.

“It’s a good night for the Thorne family,” Eva Thorne, who was was crowned as the teen queen-elect for 2013, said about the pageant night.

The Thorne sisters are the daughters of Tim and Paulette Thorne of Moorefield. Eva Thorne is 17 and an honor student at Moorefield High School. She also attends the Eastern Community and Technical College. She is active in the National Honor Society, cheerleading, student council, Spanish Club, Pep Club and 4-H, along with volunteering at local elementary schools and Red Cross blood drives. She is a regional Science Fair winner. Eva Thorne said that she looks forward to the coronation because it is a beautiful ceremony.

“There’s so many different things to look forward to during the festival,” Eva Thorne said.

McComas, the 2013 queen-elect, is the 21-year-old daughter of Dean and Teresa McComas. She is a graduate of the Carver Beauty Academy and is employed as a cosmetologist. Her hobbies include anything dealing with hair, nails and makeup, singing in the car and watching Doris Day movies with her grandmother.

“This is one of the most renowned festivals in the state,” McComas said. “To be the queen in the Strawberry Festival is one of the highest honors, and I am ready with open arms to represent the Strawberry Festival in the town of Buckhannon this year.”

Stephen Butler of Braxton County was named as the 2013 Strawberry Festival King. Butler is the administrator and secretary/treasurer for the West Virginia Farm Bureau.

He is a member of the Upshur County Livestock Association, West Virginia Forest Association and the West Virginia Beekepers Association. He also has grown strawberries for the West Virginia Strawberry Festival.

Others were honored as runner-ups in the queen division.

The first maid is Taylor Eaton, 21, of Fraziers Bottom. The second maid is Tosha Saltis, 22, of Buckhannon. The third maid is Shannon Ocheltree, 22, of Buckhannon. The fourth maid is Samantha Thompson, 20, of Moorefield.

Runner-ups in the teen queen division were Brittany Shapiro, 16, of Buckhannon, as the first maid; Katie Preusch, 17, of Elkins, as the second maid; Taylor Everett, 17, of Buckhannon, as the third maid; and Kathryn Grace Scarbro, 14, of Fairmont, as the fourth maid.

Miss Photogenic was awarded to a contestant in each division.

Scarbro was named Miss Photogenic in the teen division, and McComas was named Miss Photogenic in the queen division.

The West Virginia Strawberry Festival Association Board of Directors awarded Jim and Sharon Strader of Buckhannon the Strawberry Spirit Award for their dedication to helping the festival.

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