New Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Queen Crowned

MATTITUCK, NY — A new Strawberry Queen was crowned in Mattituck Saturday: Ava Grace Sannino, 16, took the strawberry scepter from Myah Orlowski, who served as queen for two years due to the pandemic.

Ava Grace, who attends Mattituck High School, said she was thrilled to win and wanted to serve so that she could "give back to the community."

Runner up was Aaliyah Shorter, 17, who also attends Mattituck High School. Aaliyah said she wanted to be a role model for her little sister.

Also vying for the tiara were Ellie Alloway, 16, and Francesca Lynch, 16, both of Southold High School, and Emma Wachtel, who attends Greenport High School.

All the girls who competed said they wanted to give back. "I want to help through community service and my message is that being kind really does matter," Francesca said.

Ellie said she's wanted to compete in the contest since she was a little girl and said she believed it was important to convey a good moral message and serve as a mentor to other young girls.

Myah said serving as Strawberry Queen, a time-honored tradition, had meant a great deal, even during the pandemic. She said she was proud of all the contestants. "I'm putting the title into good hands," she said. To the girls, she added, "You are all my queens."

The 66th Annual Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Festival continues through Sunday.