KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – As the annual Kelseyville Pear Festival approaches, the community's youngsters are being encouraged to enter the Lake County Pear Festival Prince and Princess Contest.

The Pear Prince and Princes 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 Unified School District in the 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 pears provided by Adobe Creek Packing Co.

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 Pear Festival parade as the Pear Prince and Princess. In addition, they will each receive a check for $100 from the Kelseyville Pear Festival.

Second place winners will receive a $10 gift certificates from A & H General Store and third place winners will receive a $5 gift certificate from The Scoop Ice Cream Shop.

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.

Last year’s Pear Prince was Andon Beall from Riviera Elementary School and the Pear Princess was Laela Stewart of Kelseyville Elementary School.

If you know of a fourth or fifth grader at one of these schools, encourage them to participate.