Joselyn Jelley is Potato Blossom Festival’s 42nd queen

23 past queens attend this year’s pageant

Taylor Rix, Miss Potato Blossom 2017, crowns her successor, Joselyn Jelley. Jelley also received banners for Miss Talent and Miss Fitness. Looking on, from left, are Second Runner-up Taylor Buote and First Runner-up and Miss Friendship, Jessica Howard. - Eric McCarthy

O’LEARY

Joselyn Jelley, Miss O’Leary Home Hardware picked up awards for Miss Fitness and Miss Talent and topped the evening off by being crowned queen at the P.E.I. Potato Blossom Festival Pageant before a large crowd Thursday evening at the O’Leary Community Sports Centre.

Past queens of the P.E.I. Potato Blossom Festival gather on stage for introductions and a group photo during the 2018 pageant. The special gathering was part of the festival’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

There were six recent graduates of Westisle Composite High School vying for Taylor Rix’s 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, Miss Potato Blossom 2017, 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 celebrate the Potato Blossom Festival’s 50^th 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.

Skyla Jeffery, the P.E.I. Potato Blossom Festival’s Little Miss Potato Blossom 2017, crowns her successor, Zoe Smallman, at the conclusion of the 2018 pageant Tuesday night at the O’Leary Community Sports Centre. Also taking part in the crowning are, from left, Abby Gallant, Miss Talent; Ella Gallant, First Runner-up and Chloe Gallant, Second Runner-up.

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.