Kendall Rayann Corley

ELKINS — Mountain State Forest Festival Director General Nathaniel Bonnell has announced the appointments of Kendall Rayann Corley and Grace Elizabeth Parsons as Maids of Honor to Queen Silvia LXXXVIII. Corley and Parsons are bestowed with the highest Randolph County honors in the Forest Festival’s 88th Royal Court.

Corley is the daughter of Keith and Beth Corley of Elkins. She is the granddaughter of Jack and Bonnie Batdorf of Elkins and the late John Kenneth and Jean Corley of Elkins. She has one sister, Alexa Corley Eva.

Corley is a 2025 graduate of Highland Adventist School and Randolph Technical Center. She was an honor roll student, a member of the National Technical Honor Society, and a recipient of the Governor’s Workforce Credential. In the fall, Corley will be a freshman at Pierpont Community and Technical College. Corley plans to major in the paramedic program with future plans of obtaining a Nationally Certified Paramedic Certificate. In her spare time, she enjoys working out, raising chickens, playing with her dogs, Norman and Gunner and spending time with family and friends.

Corley served as a Jester in the 83rd Mountain State Forest Festival. Her father, Keith, served as an Assistant Director for three years and her mother, Beth, served as a Flower Girl in the 40th MSFF and a Princess in the 53rd MSFF. Her great aunt, Molly Batdorf White, served as a Maid of Honor in the 23rd MSFF.

Corley works at Upshur County Emergency Squad full-time as an EMT-B, part-time with Anmoore Fire and EMS as an EMT-B and Mountain State Cheer Academy as a tumbling instructor. She is also a certified firefighter and was a junior firefighter for Beverly Volunteer Fire Department.

Parsons is the daughter of John and Amy Parsons of Elkins. She is the granddaughter of James and Karen Bialek of Elkins and Jo Ellen and the late James F. Parsons of Elkins and William Jack Fuhrman and Barbara Fuhrman of Elkins.

Parsons is a 2025 graduate of Elkins High School, where she was a four-year completer in culinary school at Randolph County Technical Center. In the fall, she will be a licensed kennel operator and groomer. She studied at the Old Brick, “The New School,” and was a member of the cast of the murder mysteries at the Gandy Dancer. Parsons attends Mount Carmel Baptist Church and is a member of their youth group. She enjoys being outdoors, camping, fishing, gardening, cooking, and researching Genealogy. She also enjoys volunteering at the Randolph County Humane Society.

Parsons served as a Crown Bearer in the 75th Mountain State Forest Festival. Her mother, Amy Bialek-Parsons, served as a Princess in 1992, volunteered for many years including designing the coronation pillow from 1993-2023, was an assistant in the Queen’s Department from 2004-2006 and an Assistant Director from 2010-2012. Her grandmother, Karen Bialek, started volunteering in 1976 and was an Assistant Director from 1994-2000 before becoming Director General in 2001 and then serving as Board President and a Board Member until 2020. Her uncle, JB Bialek, served as a Train Bearer in 1990, and her aunt, Ashley Bialek-Flanagan, served as a Maid of Honor in 2004.

Parsons currently works at Rising Sun Kennel LLC. She is striving to establish her own kennel and grooming facility and currently cares for animals while their owners are away.

Corley and Parsons will accompany Queen Silvia LXXXVIII during her Royal Coronation on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at the Citizens Bank of WV Outdoor Amphitheatre located on the campus of Davis & Elkins College. The 88th edition of the Mountain State Forest Festival with the theme “Autumn in Color” will take place Sept. 26, 2026, to Oct. 4, 2026. More information is available by visiting festival social media, www.forestfestival.com, or calling the festival office at 304-636-1824.

Grace Elizabeth Parsons