Lee Trawick
Reporter2@riverbendnews.org
On Saturday, Dec. 18, young ladies of all ages convened at Lafayette High School for a chance at the coveted crown and title of Miss Mayo. Crowns were also waiting to be awarded for Tiny Miss Mayo, Little Miss Mayo and Junior Miss Mayo. In addition, a Charity Queen was named; this crown is based on how much money one raised through donations towards Camp Connexion, a local youth church camp open to all youth during the summer. Family members and friends gathered from all over to watch and cheer on their favorite contestants.
During the preliminary rounds, the young ladies were judged in five categories: Best Smile, Best Hair, Best Dressed, Photogenic and Outfit of Choice. Each division was divided by age category. Those competing for Tiny Miss Mayo took the stage first, followed by Little Miss Mayo, Junior Miss Mayo and Miss Mayo contestants, who capped off the night.
As the Tiny Miss Mayo contestants took the stage, two stood out. Both Best Smile and Best Hair were awarded to Carli Ruff, while Best Dress, Photogenic and Outfit of Choice were all awarded to Skyla Smith. At the end of the day, the 2022 Tiny Miss Mayo crown went to Ruff.
Next was Little Miss Mayo, where contestants Carolinna McCray and Shelby Tyre took center stage. McCray won the categories of Best Smile, Best Dress and Outfit of Choice, while Tyre won both Best Hair and Photogenic. McCray was then crowned 2022 Little Miss Mayo.
As the Junior Miss Mayo contestants took the stage, the categories of Best Smile and Photogenic went to Scarlett Hamlin. Nevaeh Watkins won Best Hair and Miley McCray took home the titles of Best Dress and Outfit of Choice. As the competition came to a close, the 2022 Junior Miss Mayo crown went to McCray.
Before the Miss Mayo contestants took the stage, Carli Ruff was named the winner of the Overall Photogenic and Overall Outfit of Choice categories.
The coveted 2022 Miss Mayo crown was then awarded to Gloria Gilliam, who claimed the titles of Best Smile, Best Hair, Best Dress, Photogenic and Outfit of Choice. In addition, Gilliam was also crowned as the 2022 Charity Queen.
Congratulations to the these young ladies!