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Junior Royalty Turns Up Roses

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By GEORGE H. NEWMAN

gnewman@tampatrib.com

Published: January 21, 2009

PLANT CITY - Almost 1,000 people nearly filled Tomlin Middle School auditorium to cheer on the contestants in the 2009 Florida Strawberry Festival Junior Royalty Pageant.

Winners were chosen Jan. 10 in four age categories from about 120 contestants. The girls, ages 5 to 15, were judged on personality, overall appearance, natural beauty and smile.

The winners were: Tori Wegner, in the Baroness division for 5- and 6-year-olds; Reagan Brown, in the Duchess division for 7- to 9-year-olds; Elizabeth Padilla, in the Princess division for 10- to 12-year-olds; and Danielle McCullough, in the Queen division for 13- to 15-year-olds.

The top five finishers in each division received roses and a trophy. The winner in each age division received a crown, along with a trophy and roses, and will represent the festival in her age group in the festival's March 2 Grand Feature Parade.

Festival general manager Paul Davis was pleased with the pageant and the work of the volunteers and pageant organizers.

"Donna Keel the pageant organizer does a great job every year," Davis said. "You can't imagine the details that have to be worked out when you have a pageant of this size."

Keel said she depends on an experienced staff of volunteers to help put the pageant together and make it run seamlessly.

"My co-chair, Krystal Almon, and committee members Deana Moorman and Rebecca Robinson do a great job every year," Keel said.

Keel has been involved with the pageant since 1991. She has been chairwoman for about 15 or 16 years, she said.

"We have about 10 to 15 people helping with the production backstage. We have a lot of experience, and you need that to make the pageant flow well," Keel said.

Keel gave a lot of credit to the mistresses of ceremonies, Jennifer Joyner and Tonya Lawson, for the seamless timing during the 31/2 hour pageant.

Joyner and Lawson are close friends who are teachers at Cork Elementary. Both were members of the Florida Strawberry Festival queen's court: Joyner in 1989 and Lawson (then Morrow) in 1993.

"It's good to have people who are connected with the festival and the city in a way that gives them some attachment to the pageant," Keel said. "Jennifer and Tonya did a superb job."

The pageant details were handled well, festival staff assistant Ellany Johnson said.

"The contestants were well-organized and knew exactly what to do during the competition," Johnson said. "Donna and her committee did an outstanding job. All the girls in the pageant were cute, well-prepared and ready for the competition. It would have been difficult to judge."

Davis said the judges are selected from outside the area.

"We are careful that they don't have any ties to any of the competitors. The competition is important to all of us," Davis said. "This pageant starts off the festival season for us. It should be an exciting season."

The festival is Feb. 26 through March 8.

Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 865-4451.

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