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The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival announced Pastor Paul Wilde as Prelate for the Coronation of Queen Shenandoah the Ninety-Ninth.
Wilde serves at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Winchester and holds a Master of Divinity from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.
He’s also a veteran of the Minnesota Army National Guard, with a deployment to Kuwait in support of Operation New Dawn.
The coronation is set for Friday, May first at John Handley High School.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival announced the local honorees for this year’s Sports Breakfast including exceptional athletes from each school and two Hall of Fame selections.
In the announcement from Festival President Jeremy Luttrell, Pepper Martin Jr and Jimmy Dix were selected as this year’s Hall of Fame inductees.
Martin served as head baseball and wrestling coach for three decades at Sherando High School before retiring in 2023.
During his coaching career in baseball, he compiled a record of 407-241 and led his teams to 10 district championships, 4 state playoff berths and a State Championship in 2013.
In wrestling, he led his team to a record of 478-123 and earned nine district championships.
He also coached four individual state champions and 55 state place winners.
Jimmy Dix was a 1959 Handley Grad who spent over six decades giving back to the school and supporting their athletic programs.
Dix began volunteering in 1964 and joined the chain crew in 1967, a role he kept until 2020, and helped the basketball team as clock operator, a role he continues today.
During his time on the Judges Athletics Association Board, he was instrumental in establishing the Hunter-Maddex Hall of Fame and later the Edwin Barksdale Wing to honor former Douglas School Athletes.
Dix also volunteered his time with youth baseball and softball programs and served on the Winchester Parks and Recreation Board.
The local athletes that will be honored during the breakfast include:
For more information on the:
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival announced Rashard Higgins, former NFL WR and firefighter, as the Firefighters’ Marshal on Wednesday.
During the announcement, Festival President Jeremy Luttrell said, “Rashard’s journey is a powerful example of purpose beyond the game. His commitment to service and community makes him an outstanding choice to serve as Firefighters’ Marshall during our 99th Festival.”
Higgins is a native of Dallas, Texas and played collegiately at Colorado State where he earned All American honors and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff award.
During his 2014 season, he led all of college football in receiving yards and touchdowns.
Higgins was selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns where he spent the next six seasons.
His best season came during the Browns 2020 playoff run where he connected with Baker Mayfield for nearly 600 yards and four touchdowns.
During the offseason, he began to pursue firefighter training and in September of 2025 he announced that he had officially joined the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department.
Visitors to the festival will see Higgins leading the Firefighters Parade and appear at events like the Fire Truck Rodeo, Coronation of Queen Shenandoah, the First Responders Recognition Reception, Sports Breakfast, and Grand Feature parade.
For more information on Rashard Higgins Apple Blossom appearance, click here.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival announced last week that NFL Hall of Famer and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown will serve as this year’s Sports Marshal.
Brown rose to national prominence at Notre Dame where he became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy in 1987.
After being drafted 6th overall by the Raiders, he went on to have a prolific NFL career and earned the nickname Mr. Raider after spending 16 years with the franchise.
He sits behind just Jerry Rice in career receiving yards and tallied over 1,000 career receptions which ranks fifth in NFL history.
Brown also set Raider franchise records in receptions, receiving yards, and punt return yards.
After his retirement, he was enshrined in both the Pro Football and College Football Hall of Fames.
Off the field, Brown helps educate children on emergency preparedness through the “9-1-1 for Kids” program, serves as an ambassador for the President’s Council on Physical Fitness on behalf of Reebok, and has held roles as a host and commentator on radio and television.
During the festival, he will appear at both parades and speak at the Sports Breakfast.
For more information on Brown’s Apple Blossom appearance, click here.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival announced former UFC champion and MMA legend Royce Gracie will join this year’s celebration and speak at the Sports Breakfast and ride in the Grand Feature Parade.
Royce was born in Rio de Janeiro Brazil and his father is the co-creator of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
He earned his black belt before 18 and his fighting career exploded onto the world stage in 1993 during the inaugural UFC event in Denver.
Royce went onto win three UFC Championships and is the only fighter in history to defeat four opponents in a single night.
He continued to fight internationally into the 2000s and holds the record for the longest MMA match of all time against during the PRIDE Grand Prix 2000.
In 2003, he became the first fighter inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame and in 2014, Sports Illustrated named him one of the 50 greatest athletes of all time.
After his MMA career, he moved on to teaching his techniques at seminars and training programs across the globe.
He has also trained law enforcement and military organizations including the FBI, CIA, Navy SEALS, and Army Rangers as well as celebrities like Chuck Norris, Jim Carrey, and Nicholas Cage.
For more on Gracie’s appearance, click here.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival reported by email on the selection of six girls to serve as Little Maids during the upcoming festival
Among the selected include Madelyn Grace “Maddie Grace” Phares Estep, Brynley Patricia Hester, Emmylou Evan Keller, Emory Elaine Larrick, Kathryn Ava Maphis and Callie Marie Seal.
Estep is in fourth grade at Quarles Elementary in Winchester and is a part of the Early Act Club and Chameleon Choir, she also participates in softball and recreational basketball. The mother of Estep was a princess in the court of Queen Shenandoah LXX.
Hester is in fourth grade at Jordan Springs Elementary and she dances with Italia Performing Arts.
Keller and her family are from Bel-Air Maryland, she is in third grade at Bel-Air Elementary and she is a member of the Kids First Swim Team.
Larrick is a fourth grade student at Middletown Elementary and is currently on the AB Honor Roll, her mother was a little maid in the Court of Queen Shenandoah LXXI.
Maphis is in fourth grade at Frederick Douglass Elementary, she participates as a Jazz Dancer at Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy along with playing volleyball and basketball, she is also a member of Stonebrook Swim Team. Her mother participated as a princess in the Court of Queen Shenandoah LXXIV.
Seal is in third grade at Greenwood Mill Elementary and her mother was a princess in The Court of Queen Shenandoah LXXVIII.
Little Maids selected will participate in the Coronation Ceremony of this years Queen Shenandoah XCIX on May 1st at Handley High School and they will ride on the Queens float in The Grand Feature Parade the next day.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
The 99th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival made one of the first announcements regarding performers for the upcoming Bloom.
Chris Tomlin, a Grammy award winning and nationally acclaimed performer, will headline the 2026 Christian Contemporary Concert at the James R. Wilkins Athletics and Events Center on Sunday, May 3rd starting at 2pm.
Tomlin was called the “Most often sung artist in the world” by TIME magazine and he has secured 21 number one singles and 30 top ten hits.
The two-time BMI Songwriter of the Year is one of only four artists to reach over a billion digital radio streams joining Justin Timberlake, Pitbull, and Garth Brooks.
As one of the most successful touring Christian artists, he has sold out venues like Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl, and Red Rocks Amphitheater.
Supporting Tomlin is the up and coming Cade Thompson.
Thompson has released two albums and racked up over 16 million streams to date.
Special Early Bird Ticket pricing is currently available here.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
The 99th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival announced the selection of four young women from the Winchester area to serve as Maids in the Court of Queen Shenandoah.
The Maids for the festival include Sofia Aikens, Emily Hunt, Mary Kimble, and Alexis Potts.
Aikens is a 2025 graduate of James Wood and current student at the Honors College of James Madison University.
Her grandmother Elaine Aikens was the Festival President from 2009-2010.
Hunt is a graduate of Jefferson County High School and current Sophomore at Shepherd University.
She is also a festival volunteer.
Kimble is a current Freshman at JMU and graduate of James Wood.
Her grandmother Kay Bollinger served as Apple Blossom president from 2003-2004.
Potts is a graduate of Handley and current student at University of North Carolina Wilmington.
She studies marine biology and is a sea turtle nest monitor.
The group will participate in the Coronation Ceremony, attend numerous festival functions, and ride in the Grand Feature Parade.
For more information on the selections, click here.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival kicked off the upcoming season on Wednesday with the annual theme announcement hosted by the Festival’s Apple Club at Vibrissa in Winchester.
Festival President Jeremy Luttrell unveiled the theme for the 99th Festival “Keep Blooming Together.”
This theme was chosen to celebrate unity, community and growth and is represented by a puzzle-piece logo in the shape of a blossom.
The logo symbolizes how volunteers, businesses, and residents contribute to the Festival’s enduring spirit.
Erik Zimmerman, Creative Director for the Festival, designed the logo and program.
Like the logo, the program also incorporates puzzle pieces while highlighting past Festival covers and Apple Blossom’s legacy of togetherness.
Handley Regional Library assisted Zimmerman by providing access to over 70 previous programs from their archives to help tie together the previous 98 years of celebrations.
The 99th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival will officially begin on April 24th.
Tickets to many of the events will go on sale on November 20th at TheBloom.com.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
