New Miss Potato Blossom
Joselyn Jelley is Potato Blossom Festival’s 2018 queen; 23 past queens attend event
There were six recent graduates of Westisle Composite High School vying for Taylor Rix’s, Miss Potato Blossom 2017, crown. But Joselyn Jelley walked away victorious at the recent P.E.I. Potato Blossom Festival Pageant. This year’s festival marked the 50th anniversary of the event.
While Joselyn Jelley, Miss O’Leary Home Hardware picked up awards for Miss Fitness and Miss Talent, she topped the evening off by being crowned queen at the P.E.I. Potato Blossom Festival Pageant. Jelley was crowned before a large crowd Thursday evening at the O’Leary Community Sports Centre.
There were six recent graduates of Westisle Composite High School vying for Taylor Rix’s, Miss Potato Blossom 2017, crown. Jessica Howard, Miss Canadian Potato Museum, was named Miss Friendship and First Runner-up and Taylor Buote, Miss O’Leary Guardian Drug, was awarded Second Runner-up.
Rix told the crowd she really enjoyed her year as queen. One of the highlights, she said, was being queen the same year O’Leary was named Kraft Hockeyville. She shared how she volunteered for the Hockeyville festivities and was active in helping to plan this year’s Potato Blossom Festival.One of Rix’s duties was to contact former Potato Blossom Festival queens and invite them to take part in this year’s festivities which celebrated the Potato Blossom Festival’s
50th anniversary
Of the festival’s 41 past queens, 23 of them were in attendance and introduced to the audience. Several of them sported the banners and crowns they were awarded during their respective pageants. There was no pageant held from 1994 to 2002. Three past queens, Geraldine (Cooke) MacKendrick, 1971; Stephanie (Smallman) Wallace, 1991 and Amy (Oulton) Irving, 2003, served as this year’s judges. Miss Potato Blossom 2015, Jacinda Costello, assisted with this year’s pageant and Miss Potato Blossom 2012,
Julia Ross was master of ceremonies.