KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Pear Festival will once again host its pear prince and princess this year.

The pear prince and princess contest was started by Kim and Gary Olson several years after the inaugural pear festival.

The Olsons thought it would be a great way to involve fourth and fifth grade students from the Kelseyville School District in pear festival activities.

The contest begins the first week of school, right at the height of our local pear harvest.

A representative of the Kelseyville Pear Festival visits each fourth and fifth grade class at Kelseyville Elementary School and Riviera Elementary School to share entry forms for the contest and deliver locally grown pears.

Students will receive a brief lesson about local pears and be read some of the past winning essays to help inspire them.

The essay contest is given in conjunction with the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom and teachers are encouraged to forward winning essays on to www.CFAITC.org so that students may receive additional prizes and the honor of being published in the yearly anthology of all state winners.

The two local first place winners will have the honor of riding in the festival parade as the pear prince and princess. In addition, they will each receive a $100 savings bond from Westamerica Bank.

The Scoop Ice Cream Shop awards gift certificates to the second and third place winners.

Additionally, teachers of winning essay students have been offered the opportunity to attend the annual Agriculture in the Classroom conference as guests of the Lake County Farm Bureau.

The 2017 Pear Prince was Andon Beall from Riviera Elementary School and the Pear Princess was Macayla Keeney also of the Riviera Elementary. Read their winning essays here.

Helen Finch is chair for the Kelseyville Pear Festival Prince and Princess Essay Contest.