Coronation of the 2013 WV Strawberry Festival King and Queen

Buckhannon, WV – West Virginia Strawberry Festival guests and the public are cordially invited to attend the Coronation of Queen elect Hannah McComas and King elect Stephen Butler as they receive their official crowns at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 15^th in the beautiful setting of Wesley Chapel on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College, 59 College Avenue, Buckhannon, WV.

The Honorable Walt Helmick, West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture will crown the king and the Honorable Natalie Tennant, West Virginia Secretary of State will crown the queen.

The Minor Court, all first graders, will be in attendance along with all of the winners of the Junior Royalty Pageant – Queen Jazmin Gillum and King Adaryus Gillum and the Junior Royalty Court. Teen Queen Eva Thorne and  her Court, the Queen’s Court, and the Hostess Princesses Kristen Cosner and Mariah Stocker will also participate in the coronation which promises to be a special evening for all.

Those attending the coronation are cordially invited to move to the French See Dining Hall also on the campus of West Virgnia Weselyan College following the Coronation for a reception with the Official Court of the 72^nd West Virginia Strawberry Festival.

The coronation and reception are free to the public.

Entertainment will be provided by the West Virginia Brass Quintet.  The West Virginia Brass Quintet formed in 2009 is one of the most exciting new chamber ensembles in WV.  This versatile group’s repertoire spans five centuries of music, from Renaissance and Baroque to Contemporary and Jazz with an emphasis on traditional American music.  With members living more than one hundred and fifty miles apart, the WVBQ goes to great lengths to sustain their passion for music making.  In addition to providing music for church services, weddings, and civic functions, WVBQ’s public performance credits include a Holiday Residency at the Greenbrier Resort, the Artist Series Concert at Tamarack, and the Italian Heritage Festival.

Date: Wednesday, May 15th at 7 PM; Coronation Reception to follow at French See Dining Hall, also on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College

Location: Wesley Chapel on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College

Secretary of State, Natalie E. Tennany will crown the 2013 WV Strawberry Festival Queen, Hannah McComas: 

Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant has become known as the state's most transparent office holder. She has been a leader promoting open and engaging government and business friendly initiatives. Tennant has streamlined the Secretary of State’s Office to make it more efficient and cost-effective while improving services for voters, candidates, business owners, and citizens who depend on the office for important information about charities and administrative law.

Under Tennant’s leadership, the Secretary of State’s Office has met unprecedented challenges and promoted bold initiatives. Secretary Tennant’s office provided oversight of seven statewide elections in just two and a half years.

Secretary Tennant’s vision also includes pilot projects that improved voter turnout and decreased costs, secure community voting locations to make it more convenient to cast a ballot, online annual report filings that save business owners time and money, and a transparent approach to state government that includes live webcasting and social media so citizens can have an unfiltered look at what actions her office is taking. West Virginia has also emerged as a leader on the national stage when it comes to making it easier for deployed military to vote using a safe and secure internet connection.

Secretary Tennant also has more investigations and convictions for election law violations than any other secretary in West Virginia's history.

Secretary Tennant currently resides in Charleston with husband State Senator Erik Wells and daughter Delaney.

West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture, Walt Helmick will crown the 2013 WV Strawberry Festival King, Steve Butler:

West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Walt Helmick was elected in 2012 and assumed office January 14, 2013. He is a Webster County native, born at Bergoo in 1944. He graduated from Webster Springs High School and earned a B.A. Degree from West Virginia Institute of Technology. He is also a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute, Hobart Technical Center, Lincoln Welding School, and Mendenhall School of Auctioneering.

He taught welding for five years at Pocahontas County High School before being elected to the Pocahontas County Board of Education in 1976. He then served nearly 10 years as President of the Pocahontas County Commission. Advancing to the state level, he won a seat in the House of Delegates in 1988 and was appointed to fill an unexpired term in the West Virginia Senate in the Fall of 1989. The district he represented is geographically the largest state senatorial district east of the Mississippi River.

As a member of the Senate, he held several leadership positions, including eight years as Chair as of the Finance Committee. He was also appointed Chair of the Standing Committee on Banking and Insurance, the Committee on Military and Public Safety, and the DNR Committee. He sat on numerous committees including Education, Industry and Mining, and Military. He served 24 years on the Senate Agriculture Committee, his longest tenure on any single committee.

Commissioner Helmick has also been active in the business community as owner of H & S Welding Supply, Home Health Supply and Snowshoe Ski Resort’s Mountaintop Athletic Club. He operates a natural spring water bottling company on his 200-acre farm in Minnehaha Springs, Pocahontas County, with his wife, Rita, a lawyer and former teacher.