After a year of cancellations and postponements, the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival has taken a major step toward holding the 43rd annual festival this year. Marissa Maria Bailey was named Regina Maria XLIII during the festival’s gala on Saturday, setting the stage for the annual Labor Day celebration in Clarksburg.

Bailey is the perfect choice to represent the gala’s return to normal, as she has been a part of the festival and a mainstay on the region’s theater and music scene since a young age. “This is such an honor. My family are Clarksburg natives and have been so involved with the festival over the years,” said Bailey, a Robert C. Byrd High School graduate who earned a master’s degree from West Virginia University.