First named Miss Edwardsburg
Published 5:08 pm Thursday, November 21, 2013
The 2014 Miss/Mr. Edwardsburg court (top) was comprised of, from left, Melissa Raab, second runner-up and Miss Congeniality; Noah Neuerburg, Mr. Edwardsburg and Entrepreneur; Harley First, Miss Edwardsburg; and Courtney Yoder, first runner-up. MaKayla Mckenzie (left) reacts to being crowned Miss Teen Edwardsburg by last year’s Miss Teen Mckenzie Carlton Saturday night. (Leader photos/ Kristi Weston of K. West Photography)
Eighteen young men and women began their year as royalty at the Miss and Mr. Edwardsburg pageant Saturday.
A total of 37 contestants took the stage for dance numbers, communication presentations, on-stage questions and formal wear segments so the judges could select this year’s court of honor.
A number of contestants in the prince and princess, pre-teen and teen portions were crowned before the finale crowning of Harley First as Miss Edwardsburg 2014, First is a 17-year-old senior at Edwardsburg and plans to attend Western Michigan University in the fall to study music education.
“I’ve never done a pageant before, so I decided to try something new,” First said following the pageant.
During the communication segment of the pageant, First dressed up as the Genie from Disney’s Aladdin and performed a monologue from the character’s first performance of the film, complete with props and character voices. She wore a white taffeta dress with a pink outline during the evening gown portion of the pageant.
Accompanying First through her reign are Mr. Edwardsburg, Noah Neuerburg, a senior at Edwardsburg who is enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.
“I just want to congratulate the new queen. I’m very excited for her,” said Neuerburg, who also had never done a pageant. First runner-up to Miss Edwardsburg is Courtney Yoder, a 16-year-old junior who plans to attend medical school after graduation. Second runner-up is Melissa Raab, a 17-year-old senior who plans to become a psychiatrist.
Others crowned included:
Edwardsburg Prince: James Tweedy
Prince 1st runner-up: Adrian Edwards
Edwardsburg Princess: Mariska Harbin
Princess 1st runner-up: Jocelyn Christner
Princess 2nd runner-up: Mia Hurd
Princess 3rd runner-up: Gabriela Ojeda
Princess 4th runner-up: Isabella Gajpa
Mr. Pre-Teen Edwardsburg: Aiden Hurd
Pre-Teen 1st runner-up: Jacob Edwards
Miss Pre-Teen Edwardsburg: Casey Clark
Pre-Teen 1st runner-up: Kerith Spake
Pre-Teen 2nd runner-up: Chloe Westfall
Pre-Teen 3rd runner-up: Carlee Burger
Pre-Teen 4th runner-up: Kaylee Moore
Mr. Teen Edwardsburg: Jon Candiver
Miss Teen Edwardsburg: Makayla McKenzie
Teen 1st runner-up: Brittany Portwood
Teen 2nd runner-up: Nicole Byrd
Teen 3rd runner-up: Kelcey Hall
