ELKINS — Two local women have been selected locals to serve as princesses during the 85th Mountain State Forest Festival.

Mountain State Forest Festival Director General Jon Morgan announced that Miss Emma Hicks and Miss Iris Tenney will serve as Princesses in the Royal Court of Queen Silvia LXXXV Anna Marie Ruf during the festival, which will be held from Saturday, September 30, 2023, through Sunday, October 8, 2023. More than 100,000 visitors are expected to arrive in Elkins throughout the week of festivities.

Emma Louise Hicks

Princess Emma Louise Hicks was appointed by West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner. She is the daughter of Jonathan and Virginia Hicks of Buckhannon. She is the granddaughter of Harold and Kathryn Payton of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Dorothy Faulkner of Manchester, England, and William B. Hicks of Buckhannon. Princess Emma has one brother, Christian, and one sister, Lily.

Emma is a 2020 Cum Laude graduate of Buckhannon Upshur High School, where she was a member of the National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, Thespians, Soundwaves, choir, and lettered in Archery. She is currently a senior at Davis & Elkins College, where she will graduate in December 2023 with a B.S. in Outdoor Recreation Management, and a minor in Child and Family Studies. Hicks is a Deans List honoree, the President of the 2023 Campus Impact Award, winning outdoor adventure club, and a member of the Senator Choir.

Iris Alanna Tenney

Princess Iris Alanna Tenney was appointed by West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrissey. She is the daughter of Alan and Lisa Tenney of Buckhannon. She is the granddaughter of Jim Tenney and Cindy Wentz and Pete and Gladys Rutherford, all of Buckhannon. Princess Iris has one brother, Dawson.

Iris is a 2021 graduate of Buckhannon-Upshur High School, where she was Student Body Treasurer, the 2021 Homecoming Queen, a member of National Honor Society, and a four-year letterman in soccer and tennis. She is currently a junior at West Virginia University School of Medicine majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Psychology. Iris plans to become a doctor in the future.

Please join Hicks, Tenney and the other Royal Princesses as they descend coronation hill at the crowning of Maid Silvia the 85th on Friday October 6, 2023 at 2 pm at the Citizens Bank of WV Outdoor Amphitheater on the campus of Davis and Elkins College.

For more information, please call the festival office at 304-636-1824 or visit the official website at www.forestfestival.com.