Strawberry Festival Preview: Meet Princess Kinsey Morse

Strawberry Princess Kinsey Morse has her sights set on a career in event planning, so she plans on studying hospitality business management at Washington State University.

That’s probably no surprise to her parents, who watched her grow up with a service-oriented disposition.

Her favorite imaginary game was restaurant, and she would walk around with a pad of paper to take everyone’s order, said Melissa Morse, Kinsey’s mom.

“She loved to tell us that they were out of our favorite foods and make us choose something else,” she said.

Even to this day, Kinsey, 17,  loves to plan parties and entertain, Melissa said.

Now much of Kinsey’s time is spent at State Farm Insurance, where she works, but she also participates in volunteer opportunities around town as a member of the National Honor Society for school.

Melissa said Kinsey has always been a determined girl, and even learned how to walk just so she could get to a toy.

“She sees what she wants and she figures out how to get it,” she said. “Her favorite phrase when she was a toddler was ‘I. do. it. myself.’”

Kinsey always grew up admiring how pretty and nice the Strawberry princesses were, and knew she wanted to be like them, Kinsey said. Now that she is one, she understands the role is also important to adults.

Kinsey recently had an experience with a guy who walked up to the princesses to find out what was going on in their lives. It made her realize being a princess is something of a conversation starter for the people in her community, and that it’s important to them.

As a princess, she’s also starting to notice more of the growth happening in town.

“I think it’s good that we’re growing,” she said. “It’s really cool to see how the community comes together to make all these little details happen to make the town more special.”

Her favorite part about the festival is that it’s a time when her family gathers together because it falls on her sister’s birthday, she said.

“It’s like a family tradition; all my family from out of town will come down for her birthday and go to the festival,” Kinsey said.

Perhaps that plays a role in Kinsey’s nature to bring people together.

“She makes every activity more fun and always includes everyone,” Melissa said.