-
Mermaid Festival Cuties, Queen And Court ChosenPictured above are winning Cutie King and Queen contestants from the Mermaid Festival in North Webster. They are (L to R): 3rd runner-up Emma Perkins, Fort Wayne; 2nd runner-up Maizie Ade, Lafayette; 1st runner-up Myra Contreras, Leesburg; Queen Chloe Laird, Warsaw; King Kyle Gilchrist, Indianapolis; 1st runner-up Cameron Lusby, North Webster; 2nd runner-up Driedyn Hernandez, North Webster; and 3rd runner-up Ezekiel Keim, Syracuse. The king and queen each received $5,000 educational bonds. The 1st through 3rd runners-up received $2,500, $1,500 and $1,000 educational bonds, respectively. Below, Brooke Blackford was crowned the 2009 Queen of Lakes during last weekend's Mermaid Festival pageant. Pictured (L to R) are: Hannah Hutchinson, 3rd runner-up; Haley Melching, 2nd runner-up; Alysha Kuhn, 2008 Queen of Lakes; Blackford; and Kristen Krizman, 1st runner-up. Blackford, Tippecanoe, is the daughter of Ken and Tina Blackford. Scholarships totaling $5,000 were awarded to the queen and her court.
