Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Mark your calendars, because one of the largest events Jefferson County has to offer is almost here! In just a few short days, the Watermelon Festival events will begin, launched by the much-anticipated Watermelon Pageant.
This year marks the 71st Annual Watermelon Festival held by the Monticello- Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, and this year's festival theme is “Sweetest Smiles of Summer.” The festivities will include fan-favorites like the Annual Bed Race, Kick-off Dinner and Vendor Village, with brand new additions like the Pickle Ball Tournament, Watermelon Crawl, and so much more. The 2021 Watermelon festival was truly one for the record books, and the line-up looks bright for even bigger and better things during the 2022 event!
With all the excitement ahead, it all begins with the Watermelon Pageant, which will determine who will be crowned this year's Watermelon Royalty, and will set the stage for countless events and activities during the two-week long festival. It all begins on Saturday, June 4, as Jefferson County's very own children and polished young women take to the stage of the Jefferson County School Auditorium for a chance to become a part of the “royal family.” Come out and show the young contestants your support in the morning of June 4, and follow up that evening with the second pageant, which features the older contestants at 5 p.m. Tickets for each event can be purchased online.
The First Watermelon Pageant begins at 10 a.m. with the “Tiny Miss and Mister” category, featuring ages 2-4 years. This year's Tiny Miss and Mister contestants are: Cora Coston, Leilah Davis, Katherine Earnest, Magnolia Ely, Emma Grace Foskey, Tara Olivia Martin, Lynlee Miller, Elizabeth Protheroe, AnnaReed Roberts, Maevalyn Sims, Catherine Walker, Logan Cowen and Waylon McCormick.
The Tiny Miss and Mister Pageant will be followed by the “Little Miss and Mister” category, featuring ages 5-7 years. This year's Little Miss and Mister contestants are: Taylor Denton, Estrella Earnest, Anslee Franklin, Harper Futrell, Catherine Lastinger, Kennedy Matthews, Charlotte Mckown, Bailey Jane Protheroe, Owen Boland and Clifford Davis.
The Little Miss and Mister Pageant will be followed by the “Junior Princess” category for ladies aged 8-10 years old. Contestants for the 2022 Junior Princess Pageant are: Emma Baker, Cheyenne Connell, Riley Denton, Olivia Futrell, Harper McLeod, Olivia Miller, Caris Prattini, Sadie Prime, Rylan Elizabeth Rabon and Zoe Sexton.
Following the Junior Princess Pageant will be the “Princess” category, for young ladies aged 11-12 years old. This year's Princess contestants are: Emma Grace Cowen, Savannah Dawkins, Christine Lastinger, Mae McNeill, Molly McNeill, Chloe Pitts, Reagan Schoch, Maggie Walker and Meganne Wilford.
Contestants in these pageant categories will compete in a formal wear pageant competition, and will be judged on their attire and smiles. After the initial pageant, each contestant will be asked a personality-based question by one of the judges, and will be given points based on the quality of their answer. The contestants earning the highest score from the judges will win the royalty title in their category. There will be a First Place, Second Place, Third Place and Runner-Up in each category.
The day of elegant pageantry continues at 5 p.m., as the contestants for the Miss and Junior Miss Watermelon Queen charm the audience in the hopes of winning the crowning titles. This year's Junior Miss Watermelon Queen category will feature ladies aged 13-15 and the Miss Watermelon Queen category will feature ladies aged 16-20.
This year's Junior Miss Watermelon Queen contestants are: Lauren Davis, Kiley Donaldson, Lily Hall, Ashlee Holm, Linda Long, Liberty Paul, Lexi Baker and Angela Williams.
This year's Miss Watermelon Queen contestants are: Hayli Grace McLeod, Grace Conrad, Riley Hamrick, Amelia Grace Lovett and Haley Paul.
The pageant will begin with a performance, which is customary for the beginning of the Miss and Junior Miss Pageant. This year's opening number will be a dance production to the song Summertime, by Kenny Chesney, aligning with the Watermelon Festival's 2022 theme, “Sweetest Smiles of Summer.” Each contestant will then be given two to four minutes on stage to perform a talent show segment. Each contestant will choose for themselves what talent they wish to show the audience, and must showcase said talent within the allotted time frame. After the talent segment is completed, the evening will transition to one of refinement, poise and elegance as the Miss and Junior Miss contestants don their best evening gowns and take to the stage once more to answer a personal interview question given by the judges. This year's Pageant will be emceed by Roslyn Joyner Bass and Olivia Walton, with Richard Watt providing interview questions.
While a good portion of their scoring depends on how each contestant performs during the Pageant, they will also be scored in other arenas, the first being a promotional video of Jefferson County that each contestant must submit prior to the pageant itself. For each video, contestants are asked to give highlights to living in Jefferson County, and may also offer details about how they look forward to spending their summer, keeping in theme of the Watermelon Festival concept for this year. Another area of determination will be how each contestant presented herself during a tea and interview session hosted by the Jefferson County Historical Association at the Wirick-Simmons House.
Once the judges have deliberated, awards will be given and the new 2022 Watermelon Festival royalty will be announced and crowned by last year's corresponding royalty. Last year's pageant winners, Isabella Gray, 2021 Miss Watermelon Queen, and Shelby Howard, 2021 Junior Miss Watermelon Queen, will both be present at the finishing ceremony, and will each walk the stage a final time accompanied by their father before passing on their respective crowns to this year's contest winners.
This year, the 2022 Miss Watermelon Queen will be presented with a $2,000 scholarship, which is being sponsored this year by Gulf Power. Special awards will also be presented for Best Promotional Video, Best Personal Showcase/Talent, Best Evening Gown and Miss Congeniality. Awards include metals, certificates and gift bags full of goodies from local merchants!
With all of the excitement of the Watermelon Festival ahead, you are not going to want to miss the kick-off event of the year! General Admission for each of this year's Watermelon Pageants is just $5 per pageant, and children aged three and under are free. VIP seating is also available for just $15 per pageant, which will claim seating in coveted Rows A-F in the center section of the Auditorium. Tickets can be purchased on the Watermelon Festival website at Monticellowatermelonfestival.com. For more information, contact the Executive Director of the Chamber, Katrina Richardson at (850) 997-5552.
Mark your calendars for this Saturday, June 4, and come out to support this year's potential Watermelon royalty! We will see you there, Monticello!
You must be logged in to post a comment.