She was queen 25 years ago

Kayla (VanDePutte) Kasey is currently a cardiovascular operating room (CVOR) nurse at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, CA, where she has been employed for the past 18 years.
Twenty-five years ago, she was being crowned Boxelder Bug Days queen.
"I didn't cry but I was shocked that I won," said Kayla, who was sponsored by Darlene's Cafe. "I remember we were all lined up below the main stage."
Kayla had the crown placed on her head by previous queen Shawnna VanHecke.
There were 16 candidates for Boxelder Bug Days queen that year. They were all interviewed in the conference room on the north end of the former Minneota Manor.
"There were four judges who interviewed each of us," Kayla recalled. "I remember one of the questions was 'Who is your hero' and I said it was my dad."Kayla and her royalty, Princesses Lacey DeVos and Kristi Coover, rode in several local parades as Minneota representatives the next summer after they were crowned.
Kayla, the daughter of Lois and the late David VanDePutte, was also the captain of the Minneota volleyball team her senior year. Lois still lives in Minneota, as does Kayla's sister, Mindy Fier.
After graduating here in 1998, Kayla went on to Mankato State University (now Minnesota State University, Mankato) for Nursing.
It was while she and her college roommate went on a vacation to California that Kayla felt a strong liking to the Santa Cruz area. She eventually moved there after college and has been there ever since.
Kayla met her husband, Chris Kasey, in California. They have one daughter together, Vendla, who is 4 1/2 and was named after Kayla's great grandmother. Kayla also has two stepchildren.
Kayla tries to get back home each year for Boxelder Bug Days but won't make it this year because of a another commitment.
Her crown, sash and button are still in her bedroom at her mother's home in Minneota.