By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Two Fete Week Pageants Help Select New Royalty
little esc
Waving and tossing candy as they ride in the parade, Little Mr. and Little Miss Escalon 2015 will pass their titles on to their successors on Thursday night. Marg Jackson/The Times

Part of the fun of Park Fete Week in Escalon is the selection of a new Miss Escalon and her court, along with the city’s youngest ambassadors, Little Mr. and Miss Escalon.

Those pageants are planned prior to the actual Friday-Saturday Park Fete, with the Miss Escalon pageant this evening, Wednesday, July 13 at 6 p.m. and the ‘Littles’ pageant tomorrow night, Thursday, July 14. Both will be staged at the Escalon Community Center.

Miss Escalon contestants this year are Kiana Ancheta, Alexandria Anderson, Jenelle Anderson, Brooklyn Berry, Kaylee Biedermann, Briana Brasil, Taylor Cockrell, Julia Orlando, Dairy Pantoja, Jaden Scott and Lexington Wheeler.

Pageant theme this year is “Enchanted Forest” and the pageant offers up several scholarships for Miss Escalon and her court, courtesy of the Escalon Lions Club. Also lending financial support for the pageant and Park Fete in general is local businessman E.J. Rogers, who said he appreciates the small town atmosphere and is happy to help keep the activities going as they have for the past several years.

The evening features a dinner catered by Leonardo’s Café, musical numbers, personal introductions from the contestants and answers from them to a series of impromptu questions, as well as a formal evening wear presentation. Along with the Miss Escalon crown, there are honors for Miss Inspirational, Miss Congeniality, Miss Photogenic and more, in addition to the runners-up. Miss Escalon and her court take part in a variety of Chamber of Commerce-sponsored events in the community throughout the year and also represent Escalon at other venues.

Thursday night, the pageant is less formal but still plenty of fun, as hopefuls for the Little Mr. and Miss Escalon crowns answer questions, display their stage presence and perform a dance routine.

Open to boys and girls, five- to seven-years-old, contestants this year include Little Miss Escalon candidates Jocelyn Avilla, Alana Borrego, Faith Eckhardt, Emily Govia, Sofia Lozano, Abigail “Abi” Perreira, Mylah Schaffner and Gianna Wilson. In the running for Little Mr. Escalon are Cole Fox, Ivan Mendez and Lucas Trejo. The pageant will be Thursday, July 14 at 6 p.m. at the Escalon Community Center and all the contestants will ride in the Park Fete Parade on Saturday, July 16 at 11 a.m.

Theme for this year’s Little Mr. and Miss Escalon contest is ‘A Bug’s Life.’

For more information about either of the pageants, call coordinator Deverie Voral at 988-8030.

Meanwhile, the first ‘pageantry’ for the Park Fete Week was hosted on Tuesday, July 12 at the Community Center with a special luncheon honoring this year’s Senior Mr. and Mrs. Escalon, Grant and Sandy Thompson. They will also be riding in style along the parade route on Saturday morning and were recognized for their many years of outstanding service and contributions to the community.