Voters Choose King, Queen of Fallfest 2011

This is one king and queen competition that’s not about beauty, popularity, being funny or outgoing or cool.

Instead, to become the king and queen of Westminster’s Fallfest, Carroll County’s largest community charity event, what it takes is a big heart and a drive to contribute to the community.

Monday night, during Fallfest’s annual kickoff event, Westminster couple Kevin and Karen Stewart, representing Access Carroll, Inc., a healthcare home for the uninsured of Carroll County, were anointed this year’s top couple.

Karen Stewart is on the board of Access Carroll, while Kevin Stewart is the owner and operator of Stewart Homes, which is based out of the couple’s home.

"They have been such an integral couple," said Tammy Black, the non-profit’s executive director.

This year’s Fallfest, which will include a karaoke contest and bingo event, is scheduled for Sept. 22-25. As king and queen of the festival, the Stewarts will preside over the event’s activities as well as ride in the parade.

During Monday night’s event, last year’s king and queen, Kevin and Tricia Wagaman, also of Access Carroll, were on hand to hand over the crown.

As for how the Stewarts became this year’s top couple, the decision process wasn’t anything like the typical high school prom scenario.

As explained by Tom Canon, a board member for the festival, the competition revolves around non-profit fundraising.

Leading up to the decisions, a handful of area non-profits go through an interview process with the board, which then votes and picks four non-profits that will be included in the year’s festival.

Each chosen charity must then provide festival volunteers.

“Each charity must commit eight volunteers per hour that the festival is open, and it’s open 40 hours,” Canon said. “It is a big commitment. We don’t give a handout. We give an opportunity.”

This year, the chosen non-profits include Access Carroll, Carroll County Youth Service Bureau, Carroll Hospice and Boys and Girls Clubs of Westminster.

Each charity then supplies a couple that it nominates to be king and queen, while voting is accomplished by fundraising dollars; whichever charity raises the most money wins. Voting is accomplished by pledging online. In turn, the charity that wins gets the money produced by the contest.

“This is one little way to make a little more money, and to make it a little more fun,” Canon said of the king and queen competition.“Voting has been picking up steam,” he said prior to Monday night’s event.

As for what the king and queen will be expected to do, Canon said that each couple typically takes on the title in a unique way.

“We provide the crown and the sash, that’s about it,” Canon said. “Some [couples] have showed up with scepters and they do the royal wave…It’s a lot of fun.”