Meet Gwen Brinkerhoff

The 2025 Honeybee Festival brought a new face to the royal court as 13-year-old Gwen Brinkerhoff was crowned Junior Miss Kiwanis Honeybee Festival Queen on Sept. 21. For Gwen, the moment was the result of preparation, determination and a little help from mom.

Brinkerhoff, an eighth grader at Crestwood School, said the most nerve-wracking part of the competition was the interview.

“Before I felt nervous, and then after, I felt pretty good, because I felt like I did the best that I could have,” she said.

To prepare, her mother, Samantha Brinkerhoff, quizzed her on interview-style questions and “pop questions” to build her confidence.

Her favorite moment, however, came on stage during the commercial portion of the competition. Gwen wrote and performed an ad for Stagecoach Coffee, which she finally memorized about a week before the pageant.

“It was really fun to write,” she said, noting that the performance helped her feel more comfortable on stage.

This wasn’t Brinkerhoff’s first experience with the Honeybee Festival Pageant. Last year, she placed as second runner-up, which motivated her to return with even more focus this year.

Her dress was another important part of the process, and since Paris has limited pageant dress shops for younger divisions, the Brinkerhoffs found Gwen’s winning gown online after a long search.

Outside of pageants, Brinkerhoff leads a busy life. She’s a member of the National Junior Honor Society, plays volleyball, participates in the yearbook club and is active in band, choir and jazz band. Of all her activities, she said chorus and performing in musicals are her favorites. In the classroom, math tops her list, thanks to an encouraging teacher.

Samantha Brinkerhoff said Gwen’s crowning moment was an emotional one.

“I was super happy for her, because I know how much she wanted to win and how hard she’s been working to do that,” she said.

As queen, Brinkerhoff looks forward to making new friends, building relationships with other queens and representing her community with kindness. She hopes people walk away from meeting her with three words in mind: kind, optimistic and fun to be around.

When asked what she was most looking forward to at this year’s festival, Brinkerhoff answered without hesitation: the pancake tent.

“I can eat pancakes on any kind of day,” she said with a smile.