GILMER, Texas (KLTV) - She's the face of Gilmer and one of Texas' longest-running festivals: the East Texas Yamboree Queen.

Through fundraising and hard work, the tradition of having a queen is what keeps this legacy sweeter than sweet potatoes going for nearly a century."It is so much fun to walk down this hall and look at the evolution of queens though and how much things have changed over the years but also how they've stayed the same," Abby Stewart, 60th Yamboree Queen and 86th Yamboree President said.

In Gilmer, Texas, wearing the crown means carrying a legacy going on ninety years."This is home, and there's nothing like trying to explain a Yam Queen and celebrating sweet potatoes to people that have never heard of the Yamboree," Lockie Thomas, who traveled two hours back to her hometown for the annual Yamboree, said.