Emerald Greene Parsons
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The pageants were kicked off at 10 a.m. as children, ages seven to 12 years old, took to the stage and competed in formal wear and an onstage question.
Catherine Lastinger was crowned the Little Miss Watermelon Queen, for girls ages seven to eight years old. Her court included: first runner-up, Catherine Walker; and second runner-up, Hazel Jean White. Miss Photogenic went to Catherine Lastinger.
Jayce Johnson was crowned as the new 2023 Little Mister Watermelon King. This division was for boys ages seven to eight years old.
Addyson Wheeler was named the winner of the nine to ten-year-old category of Jr. Princess Watermelon Queen. Her court included: first runner-up, Taylor Denton; second runner-up, Amrys Bishop; 
Molly McNeill was crowned as the Princess Watermelon Queen for her age division of 11 – 12-year-olds. The Princess court included: first runner-up, Arianna Brown; and second runner-up, Olivia Miller. Miss Photogenic went to Molly McNeill.
This year’s Little Miss to Princess Contest was directed by Amy Davis and was emceed by Roslyn Bass and Katrina Walton.
The Jefferson County Watermelon Contest was sponsored by Florida Power and Light.
Lena Sullivan and Mae McNeill Crowned
2023 Miss and Junior Miss Watermelon Queens
Emerald Greene Parsons
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The audience watched as four young ladies vied for the coveted title of Miss Watermelon Queen and five young ladies competed for the title of Junior Miss Watermelon Queen.
The evening began with an opening number dedicated to showcasing the local businesses of Jefferson County! The nine young ladies introduced themselves while spotlighting many of the local businesses around town.
Then, each contestant took their turn in the spotlight while presenting their two to four-minute on-stage talent/personal showcase.
The final on-stage performance was the elegant evening gown portion of the pageant, along with the personal on-stage question.
While a good portion of their scoring depended on how each contestant performed during the pageant, they were also scored on a private interview that was held earlier in the day during a “tea” with the judges.
A special “audience choice award” was judged earlier on social media for promotional videos of historical landmarks in Jefferson County that each contestant submitted prior to the pageant itself. For each video, contestants were to choose one historical landmark and explain the details of that landmark. The videos were posted to social media and were voted on by viewers.
This year’s Watermelon Pageant was co-directed by Teri Naylor and Roslyn Bass, and was emceed by Roslyn Bass and Richard Watt.
At the end of the night, Jefferson County found itself with two new wonderful queens to represent the county for 2023.
Lena Sullivan was chosen to reign as the 2023 Miss Watermelon Queen for the upcoming year. She also won the award for Talent, Best Evening Gown and the People’s Choice Award for the Promotional Video.
The 2022 Miss Watermelon first runner-up was awarded to Riley Hamrick.
Miss Congeniality was awarded to Riley Hamrick.
In the Junior Miss division: Mae McNeill was named the new 2023 Junior Miss Watermelon Queen.
The Junior Miss first runner-up was Chrissy Lastinger.
The Junior Miss second runner-up was Ashlee Holm.
Miss Congeniality was awarded to Ashlee Holm.
The Talent award was won by Chrissy Lastinger.
The Evening Gown award was won by Ashlee Holm.
The best Personal Showcase/Talent Audience Choice award was presented to Linda Smith.
This year’s royalty can be seen for the next year during the local parades, ribbon cuttings, and events supporting our great Jefferson County.
This year’s Jefferson County Watermelon Pageants were sponsored by Florida Power and Light.