Four finalists advance in National Cherry Queen competition

Four women advanced from a field of 14 after the National Cherry Queen candidate selection weekend in Traverse City, setting the stage for a role that carries tourism, agriculture and civic visibility into the National Cherry Festival’s 100th year.

The finalists are Lillian Gray, Magdalen Kleinrichert, Aubrey Manchester and Georgia Walker. Each finalist received a $1,500 scholarship, a festival wardrobe and all-expenses-covered participation during National Cherry Festival Week, underscoring that the position is more than a ceremonial title. The eventual queen will receive a $10,000 scholarship, and the runner-up will receive $2,000.

Festival officials said the 2026 Candidate Selection Weekend was held May 29 and 30 and included three judged interviews, a cherry industry speech, a tour of a local cherry farm and an on-stage question. Those stages are designed to test how well the finalists can represent the National Cherry Festival, the cherry industry and the Traverse City area, all of which are central to the region’s summer economy and public identity.

Two of the finalists bring especially clear local ties. Magdalen Kleinrichert is 22, a Traverse City native, a 2022 graduate of St. Francis High School and is entering her final year at Ave Maria School of Law. Lillian Gray recently graduated from Western Michigan University with a BFA in acting and a minor in business. The other finalists, Aubrey Manchester and Georgia Walker, now join them in the final round.

The new queen will succeed Ainslee Hewitt, whom the festival lists as the 2025-2026 National Cherry Queen. The titleholder serves as ambassador for the National Cherry Festival, the cherry industry and the Traverse City area, a responsibility that reaches far beyond the stage and into the daily work of promoting one of Northern Michigan’s most recognizable industries.

The competition also sits inside a long-running local tradition. The festival traces the queen program to the 1925 Blessing of the Blossoms Festival. In 1931, the Michigan Legislature passed a resolution making the Cherry Festival a national celebration, and the event became officially week-long in 1968. The festival points to the scale of that history with the 1975 Cherry Royale Parade, which drew 180 entries and more than 300,000 attendees.

The 2026 National Cherry Festival is scheduled for July 4-11 in Traverse City, where the new queen will help front a centennial celebration built around cherries, community and the region’s public face.