Photo by Deb Gau The 2025-26 Boxelder Bug Days royal court posed for a group picture Sunday after the grand parade. From left to right are second princess Natalie Ratajczak, firsst princess Clare Swedzinski, queen Brynn Kern, and second princess Addison Buysse.

MINNEOTA — The Boxelder Bug Days Parade is part of the fun each year at Minneota’s community festival. But for some of the participants, the event also marked a transition.

It was the first parade for the newly-crowned 2025 Boxelder Bug Days royalty, and the last one for the 2024 royalty.

Hannah Vlaminck and Elizabeth Vierstraete said riding in their final parade was an emotional experience.

“It’s sad, but we knew it had to come to an end,” said Vierstraete, who was a 2024 princess. “It’s been a great year.”

All the young women said they were happy to be part of a Bug Days tradition.

“It’s been a lot of fun just getting to see people,” said Brynn Kern, who was crowned the 2025 Boxelder Bug Days queen. Kern said she had met people who came to Minneota from as far away as Nebraska.

This year’s Boxelder Bug Days queen and princesses were crowned Saturday night. This year’s queen is Kern. Clare Swedzinski was crowned first princess, and Natalie Ratajczak and Addison Buysse were crowned second princesses.

Some of their official duties as Bug Days royalty started right away. They rode in the grand parade, and officially picked up the winning entries in the festival’s golf ball roll on Sunday afternoon.

Waiting as a pile of golf balls rolled toward them down a chute was a strange experience at first, Buysse and Swedzinski said.

“I was worried that a golf ball would bounce out and hit us,” Buysse said. But the contest went without a hitch.

There were a lot of reasons participants wanted to be Boxelder Bug Days royalty. Part of it was their connection to friends, family and other community members. Swedzinski said the 2025 candidates got encouragement from the 2024 royalty.

“The past royalty were very convincing,” she said. Swedzinski and other participants also had family members who had been part of the program in past years.

“I’ve wanted to do this since I was a little girl,” Buysse said. “It was always my favorite part of Boxelder Bug Days.”

Kern said she felt nervous before having to give a speech as part of the queen program, but the nervousness went away pretty quickly. The candidates were a positive presence for each other.

“I think we really all supported each other through the whole process,” Ratajczak said.

The 2025 Boxelder Bug Days royalty said they were looking forward to getting to travel to different community events and represent Minneota. That was also something 2024 Queen Vlaminck and First Princess Vierstraete said they loved about their time as royalty.

“I’m going to miss going to every community,” Vierstraete said.

Vlaminck said participants learned a lot from being Boxelder Bug Days royalty.

“I think it taught us to organize ourselves,” she said. That came from the planning that went into holding different community events.

Vierstraete added that the royalty became confident in their roles as their reign went on.

“Once you put the gown on, you’re different,” she said.