Presto change-o

One of the fascinating elements of the evening is that the Queen wears the same dress as all the Queens before her—literally. It has adjustable seams and pieces that fold down or out as necessary, so that when her successor is crowned, both Queens are whisked away to a room where a seamstress stands by to help speed the dress exchange. The new Queen returns to begin her reign literally wrapped in history. This year’s queen, Blaine (shown at right), loves the festival so much, she ran for this crown four times—and, finally, it is hers.