Oldest Living Cherry Festival Queen Reflects on Festival, Old Beaumont

Though the years have passed and she's seen a lot in her 93 years of life, certain memories in the life of Ms. Virginia Lay Henderson will never be forgotten.

The ever-positive grandmother-- who has been called the oldest living Cherry Festival Queen by the city of Beaumont-- sat down recently with Banning-Beaumont Patch to recollect on a different era in Beaumont's history and her reign as queen.

"I really lived when things were good," Henderson says with a smile when talking about how life in Beaumont was in the 30s, when she was working at an old-fashioned hamburger diner called the Apache Grill on 6th St.-- now known as the Country Junction Kitchen.

It was during that time of her life, just a short time after she had moved to town with her family, that she enjoyed being "the new girl" in town; the one "all the young single guys" were excited to meet.

With the help of one of those guys-- who would become her husband later that year-- then 19-year-old Virginia Julian decided she'd give running for Cherry Queen a shot.

There wasn't any flashy pageant or talent show to become the queen, nor parade to ride in, rather the title was determined based on who could sell the most raffle tickets to the event.  Henderson sold hundreds.

"I was surprised that I got it," she said.  "I thought that the girl whose father was on the city council would win it.  But I sold the most tickets."

And because she did, she was honored-- albeit shocked-- to win the title of Cherry Queen, 1938.

"All we had to do was walk through the festival for three days and shake hands," she said, adding that of course, she was able to sample lots of cherries.

Lt. Governor George J. Hatfield crowned her-- something she still chuckles about to this day with pride-- and she was proud to wear her foil crown that had real cherries hanging down from it.

Though those cherries didn't last long-- everyone kept eating them off her crown-- Henderson says it was beautiful.  And, it went along perfectly with the dress that she happened to already own (no buying of special attire for this event either, she says); it was a blue short-sleeved full-length gown with cherry blossoms all over.

Her prize that year also included an engraved silver cup, which now resides with San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society.

After her crowning victory, her 16-year-old sister Nadine received the same honor just the next year.

Henderson says she continued to attend the festival for years after she was queen, though it's been tough to get out there in recent years due to health issues.  The last time she attended the festival was in 2005, when she got to ride in the parade.

But the festival and all it stands for will forever be engrained in Henderson's mind and heart.  She lives now in Cherry Valley, a fitting place for this queen.

When asked how she feels about cherries, once again with that endearing smile she says, "I love them."