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 73rd Annual Watermelon Festival held by the Monticello-Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, and this year's festival theme is “Home-Grown Happiness.” The festivities will include fan favorites like the Annual Bed Race, Kick-off Dinner, Vendor Village, Pickle Ball Tournament, Watermelon Crawl, parade and so much more.
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 1, as Jefferson County's very own children and polished young women take to the stage at the old Jefferson County School Auditorium for a chance to become a part of the “royal family.”
Come out and show the young contestants (birth through six years old) your support on the morning of June 1, at 10 a.m. Then follow that up by watching and supporting the youth of seven through 12-years-olds at their 1:00 p.m. pageant. The third pageant, which features the older contestants (ages 13 – 15 and 16 – 24) will be held at 6 p.m. Tickets for each event can be purchased online or at the door.
The First Watermelon Pageant, at 10 a.m., will begin with the “Baby Miss” category, featuring ages birth – 11 months old; then the “Tiny Miss” category for girls ages 2-3 years old. Then the boys will take the stage to compete for “Tiny Mister Watermelon King.” The next group of young ladies to take the stage will be the four – to six-year-old “Little Miss” contestants.
Contestants in these age divisions will compete
in a formal wear pageant competition and will be judged on their attire, smile and stage presence. The contestants earning the highest score from the judges will win the royalty title in their category. Each category will have a Queen, First Runner-Up, Second Runner-Up, Third Runner-Up and Fourth Runner-Up.
The Miss Watermelon Pageant continues at 1:00 p.m. when two more categories take to the stage. The “Princess” category, for young ladies ages 7-9 years old, will take the stage. “Young Miss” ladies, ages 10-12 years old will then compete for their prestigious title!
Contestants in these pageant categories will compete in a formal wear pageant competition and will be judged on their attire, smile and stage presence. The contestants earning the highest score from the judges will win the royalty title in their category. Each category will have a Queen, First Runner-Up, Second Runner-Up, Third Runner-Up, and Fourth Runner-Up.
The day will conclude with the much-anticipated Junior Miss Watermelon and Miss Watermelon Pageant, which begins at 6 p.m. The Junior Miss and Miss contestants all hope to charm the judges, 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 16-24.
This year's Junior Miss Watermelon Queen contestants are Chrissy Lastinger, Bailey Cain, Sierrah Sexton, Chloe Pitts and Linda Long.
This year’s Miss Watermelon Queen contestants are Heaven-Leigh Purvis, Shelby Howard, Maggie Boyd, Lily Hall, Ashlee Holm and Liria Vargas.
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 creative walkthrough of Jefferson County highlighting local businesses and services.
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 11 girls will then compete in the casual wear/sportswear division; consisting of each girl modeling her “outfit of choice” and answering a personal interview question. Then 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 show their grace in their evening gown walk.
Shelbi McCall will emcee this year's pageant.
While a good portion of their scoring depends on how each contestant performs during the Pageant, they will also be scored on how each contestant presented herself during a private interview session hosted earlier in the afternoon, before the pageant began.
Once the judges have deliberated, awards will be given and the new 2024 Watermelon Festival royalty will be announced and crowned by last year's 2023 Junior Miss Watermelon Queen, Mae McNeill and the 2023 Miss Watermelon Queen Lena Sullivan.
The new Miss 2024 Watermelon Queen will be awarded a $2,000 scholarship and the first runner-up will receive a $500 scholarship, gifted by Altrussa International, of Florida.
Special awards will also be presented for Best Personal Showcase/Talent, Best Evening Gown and Miss Congeniality.
With all of the excitement of the Watermelon Festival ahead, you will not want to miss this year's kick-off event! 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 at the door or on the Watermelon Festival website at Monticellowatermelonfestival.com. For more information, contact the Watermelon Festival Chairperson, Katie Truelove at (229) 403-1741.
Blue Sky Farms will be on-site during the pageant and will have a flower cart, with market flowers, available for purchase during both pageants.
Mark your calendars for this Saturday, June 1, 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.