From the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame:
Lakeland, Fla. (Oct. 19, 2015) — Miss Florida Citrus, Summer Foley, will be appearing at the Produce Marketing Association’s 2015 Fresh Summit Exposition in Atlanta, Ga. on Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Georgia World Congress Center. Miss Florida Citrus is participating on behalf of the Florida citrus industry and will be visiting with attendees in the Florida Pavilion each day as part of the Fresh From Florida campaign. Appearances will include sampling and demos with Chef Justin in the Fresh From Florida booth (#1633), along with autographs and photos at Seminole Pride Noble Juice and Fresh Fruit (#1821) and Seald Sweet International (#1747), which are both exhibiting at the show. Additional appearances will be with Florida Classic Growers, IMG and Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company.
Summer Foley is an 18-year old freshman attending Boston Conservatory, majoring in musical theatre with a minor in foreign languages. From Ormond Beach, Fla., she has volunteered at numerous Florida playhouses and recently performed with the Orlando Concert Band at the Winter Park Arts Festival. An opera singer, Summer was also chosen for Carnegie Hall’s Honors Performance Series, and was a Top 15 finalist at this year’s Miss Florida Pageant, which is a Miss America preliminary pageant.
The Florida Citrus Queen Pageant began in 1924 and has been part of the Miss America Organization intermittently throughout the years, with the name changing to Miss Florida Citrus in 1984. Miss Florida Citrus was once a salaried employee of the Florida Department of Citrus, chosen over a three-day period of intense interviews, with the winner traveling throughout the world as the industry ambassador. However, the program was put on hiatus in 2004 due to budget constraints and fallout from the struggles the industry has faced with decline from disease. This year marks the return of the Miss Florida Citrus program to help promote Florida’s citrus industry on a grass-roots basis, made possible through a generous grant from the 1966 Florida Citrus Queen, LaVoyce Leggett Porter, and her husband Lanier Porter, along with numerous sponsors of the program.
Approximately 76 percent of the buyers attending the Fresh Summit are directly involved in purchasing decisions, making it an important opportunity for the Florida citrus exhibitors. Miss Florida Citrus will give them the added appeal at Fresh Summit that will help promote Florida citrus to the fresh produce industry.
For more information or to schedule an appearance, please contact Brenda Eubanks Burnette at (561) 351-4314 or BBurne1003@aol.com.