Another Watermelon queen has won the title of Miss Louisiana Teen, congratulations Melissa Le. Louisiana Watermelon Pageant Directors Ashley Owen, Gracie Reichman and Darra Jung are filled with pride for this exciting time for their 2023 Watermelon Teen Queen.
In July 2023 when they each captured a title at the Watermelon Festival Pageant, they knew these titles would be their ‘golden ticket’ to grace the stage during the Miss Louisiana Teen pageant. Miss Louisiana Watermelon Teen Melissa Le, Miss Belle of the D’Arbonne Teen Genevieve Wetzel, and Miss Union Parish’s Teen Catherine Williams are three precious young ladies. They arrived in Monroe this past week excited about the opportunities in store for them.
As competition began so did announcements such as the Preliminary Winners. Melissa Le took home the Preliminary Fitness and Talent Awards. The excitement was building for these girls.
Soon the TOP 11 were announced and the three young ladies representing the Watermelon pageant were all called. What started as 24 beautiful young ladies, each focused on the title was suddenly down to the TOP 5, which still included Melissa Le.
When the night ended Melissa Le was crowned the 2024 Miss Louisiana Teen.
The Town of Farmerville not only cheered on the three Watermelon queens, but also happily supported Averie Moon who was also competing in the Miss Louisiana Teen pageant. Moon currently holds the title of Miss Spirit of the Red. She along with Catherine Williams are students at Cedar Creek School in Ruston and are shown above with their principal Cindy Hampton. Moon’s mother lives in Ruston, but Dad and grandparents all live in Farmerville.
The Farmerville Jaycees have a long line of royalty who have gone on to win the Miss Louisiana Teen title they are: 2016 Sarah Katherine McCallum; 2017 Alana Lewis; 2018 Gracie Reichman; 2019 & 2020 Chanley Patterson (Due to no pageant during COVID, she held title 2 years); 2022 Mary Laura Hunt and now Melissa Le in 2024. There is just something about a Watermelon queen!!!
“We are delighted to announce that Miss Louisiana Watermelon Festival’s Teen has been crowned Miss Louisiana’s Teen for seven out of the past nine years. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Farmerville Jaycees, CommuniHealth Services, Judge Bruce Hampton, Bayou General Store, Mrs. Deanna McCallum, Paramount Healthcare, Dean of Flowers, and numerous others for their generous scholarship contributions, which help make these dreams a reality. Melissa will compete for the title of Miss America’s Teen in Orlando, Florida, in January 2025” states Director Ashley Owen.
