Addison Hagen of Bad Axe, Kinzlee Karst of Frankenmuth crowned Queen’s Court Attendants
SEBEWAING, MICHIGAN – Isabella Stoutenburg of Sandusky was crowned the 2024 Michigan Sugar Queen during a ceremony held Friday, June 14, at Sebewaing Village Park during the village’s 59th annual Michigan Sugar Festival.
Isabella, 19, is a 2023 graduate of Sandusky High School and attends Michigan State University where she is pursuing a degree in animal science with a minor in business. She hopes to work as a veterinarian. While in high school, Isabella was vice president of the school’s FFA chapter through which she earned her FFA State Degree. She is the daughter of Michigan Sugar Company Grower-owners Clint and Carolyn Stoutenburg.
“Once again, Michigan Sugar Company is fortunate to have found a young woman who we know will be an excellent representative and ambassador for our company,” said Rob Clark, Senior Director of Communications and Community Relations for Michigan Sugar. “Isabella’s knowledge of our company and agriculture in general, along with the quality of her character, shined through during the selection process. We are looking forward to a great year with Isabella as the Michigan Sugar Queen.”
Also crowned during the June 14 ceremony were two Queen’s Court Attendants – Addison Hagen, 18, of Bad Axe and Kinzlee Karst, 18, of Frankenmuth. They, too, are serving as ambassadors for Michigan Sugar Company for the next year.
Addison is a 2024 graduate of Ubly High School and plans to attend Michigan State University to study agricultural business and sustainable agriculture with hopes to enter the crop insurance sales business. She was a member of the Student Council and Ubly FFA Chapter and loves playing volleyball. She is the daughter of Michigan Sugar Grower-owners Clint and Melissa Hagen.
Kinzlee is a 2024 graduate of Frankenmuth High School and plans to attend Central Michigan University to study interior design with a minor in disability studies and community inclusion. She is a member of the National Honor Society and was secretary of the Student Council, captain of the soccer team, and editor of the high school’s yearbook. She is the daughter of Michigan Sugar Grower-owners Jeff and Sheri Karst.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have the daughters of three Michigan Sugar grower-owner families representing our company for the next year,” said Clark. “We can’t remember a time when all three of our Queen’s Court members were this closely tied to our cooperative. It presents a unique opportunity to share our story from the perspective of the people who plant, grow, and harvest the crop from which we extract sugar each year.”
The new Queen and Court Attendants will jump right into their year of service appearing Saturday, June 15, in the Michigan Sugar Festival Grand Parade in Sebewaing. The parade begins at 10:30 a.m. and will feature Isabella, Addison, and Kinzlee riding the Michigan Sugar Company float. They will be joined in the parade by members of the 2023 Michigan Sugar Queen’s Court – Queen Kassie Acker of Alma and Attendants Kylie Spiekerman of Saginaw and Maria Ivezaj of Macomb.
Following the parade, the newly crowned Michigan Sugar Queen and Attendants will be in Village Park greeting festivalgoers, passing out 2-pound bags of Pioneer Sugar, posing for photos, and helping members of our Co-op Board and Central District Board serve up cotton candy.
“I am so honored to be selected to represent Michigan Sugar Company and I couldn’t be more excited to do it alongside two other ambassadors from grower-owner families,” said Isabella. “My family has been growing sugarbeets for several generations, so I’m very familiar with the farming side of the sugarbeet industry. I’m looking forward to spending time engaging more with those who are impacted by what we do outside our farms and representing our great company throughout the state of Michigan.”
This year, Michigan Sugar Company received 17 applications through its Michigan Sugar Queen Scholarship Program.
Through the Michigan Sugar Queen Scholarship Program, a Queen and two Attendants are chosen to serve for one year as ambassadors for Michigan Sugar Company. Their duties include public appearances, community service projects, interaction with lawmakers and agriculture leaders, and helping to represent Michigan Sugar Company throughout the state.
After completing the requirements of the program, the Queen receives a $2,000 scholarship and each attendant a $1,000 scholarship to be used to help pay for college.
