No more swimsuits at Strawberry Festival pageant

PLANT CITY -- Florida Strawberry Festival queen hopefuls won't be strutting in swimsuits next year. Pageant officials decided today to ditch the swimsuits in favor of a casual wear contest. Officials have also raised the grade-point average requirement to 3.0 from 2.75.

"We didn't take lightly breaking tradition," said Sandee Sytsma, the festival queen coordinator. While there have been some complaints over the years about 16- to 20-year-old competitors in swimsuits, the standard was a one-piece outfit. "They never wore skimpy bathing suits," Sytsma said.

Jessica Vander Velde, Times staff writer