Miss Bradford Fest will be held at the Bradford High School auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. Pre-sale tickets are available until noon on Friday, Feb. 10, for $7. Tickets will be $10 at the door.
Program books will also be for sale at the door.
Five will be competing for the Petite Miss title, five for the title of Junior Miss, five for the title of Teen Miss and three for the title of Miss.
A People’s Choice Award” and a “Top Bid Award” will go to your favorite contestant and will be chosen that night based on your participation. You must attend to vote!
Your participation is enriching the future of our contestants who are competing for a two-year scholarship. Come cheer them on as their dreams come true.
The contestants are as follows:
Brilee Melvin
Brilee, the 6-year-old daughter of Cassie and Brian Melvin of Brooker, is competing in the Petite Miss category. She is a first-grade student at Southside Elementary School, where she is on the honor roll and was recently recognized as a Kiwanis Club of Starke Terrific Kid. She loves competing in pageants and is currently a member of the North Florida Elite Cheer Purple Diamonds all-star team. She seems to be shy, but shows on stage her love for getting dressed up and her confidence. She loves to sing and dance and has a huge heart for animals. She enjoys reading a book before bedtime each night as well as a devotional, teaching her how to pray for others. Her teacher describes her as an “insightful, empathetic, helpful, caring and responsible student.”
Bethany Peraino
Bethany, the 6-year-old daughter of Heath Vann and Krystal Kerr of Lawtey, is competing in the Petite Miss category. Bethany attends Northside Christian Academy and is in kindergarten, where she has is an A Honor Roll student. She loves to sing at church and enjoys spending time with her younger siblings. Every time you see Bethany, she has a smile on her face. She loves riding four-wheelers and can go from makeup to mud. Bethany loves to take care of her horse and chickens. When she grows up, she wants to attend college and become an X-ray technician.
Olivia Coiana
Olivia, the 5-year-old daughter of Gino and Brittany Coiana, is competing in the Petite Miss category. She attends Midway Learning Center, where she is thriving. She is the youngest of three children and looks up to both of her sisters and adores them. She wants to be like her sister Amelia Grace, who lives for pageants. Olivia is very spunky and is so excited to have the opportunity to do something she thinks is fun. Olivia is very outgoing and funny no matter where she is. She has taken her state test for pre-K and scored close to the first-grade level. She would rather work puzzles and do work than anything else. Olivia wants to be a police officer when she gets older.
Hadley Holsenbeck
Hadley, the 5-year-old daughter of Dustin and Kayla Holsenbeck of Starke, is competing in the Petite Miss category. She is in kindergarten at Southside Elementary School, where she is currently Little Miss Southside. She is an A/B Honor Roll student. Hadley loves to dress up and do her make-up. She enjoys dancing, singing and being the life of the party. She wants to be a famous on TikTok when she grows up. She is proudly sponsored by Holsenbeck Land Tree and Debris, LLC.
Jesslyn Hipps
Jesslyn, the 5-year-old daughter of Jesse and Lindsay Hipps of Starke, is competing in the Petite Miss category. She is the youngest of six children. She is in kindergarten at Southside Elementary School. Jesslyn loves to be outdoors and ride four-wheelers and side-by-sides with her family. An interesting fact about Jesslyn is she has cheered with North Florida Elite Tiny Sugar Plums since she was 3. She is currently in her third season of cheerleading. She is sponsored by AAA Bail Bonds and Lisa Tatum. When Jesslyn grows up, she wants to become a nurse after attending college.
Charley Box
Charley, the 9-year-old daughter of Jacob and Laresa Box of Lake Butler, is competing in the Junior Miss category. She is a fourth-grade student at Lake Butler Elementary School. Charley is a sergeant in the LBES safety patrol and is responsible for putting up and taking down the flag each day at school. A big accomplishment for Charley was her cheer team winning Overall Level-One Grand Champion at Battle on Broadway in Nashville last year. Charley enjoys 4-H and is showing a steer, heifer and goat in the UCLA fair this year.
Shalin Hannah
Shalin, the 12-year-old daughter of Terry and Shannon Hannah, is competing in the Junior Miss category. Shalin attends Bradford Middle School and is in the seventh grade. She is a former title holder of Miss Bradford Fest. She lives on a farm and enjoys spending time with her animals. Shalin is a member of Bradford FFA and is the chaplain of her chapter. Shalin is also in Bradford 4-H and shows goats in the Bradford County Agricultural Fair. She wants to become an interior designer when she graduates from college.
Raegan Godwin
Raegan, the 12-year-old daughter of Robert and Jessica Godwin of Starke, is competing in the Junior Miss category. She is a sixth-grade student at Lake Butler Middle School, where she is an A/B Honor Roll student. She is a member of the Sapphire Dance Team at Starke Dance Academy. Raegan is a member of SWAT, plays percussion in the LBMS band and is an active member of her church youth group. Raegan is proud to have been saved and baptized in the summer of 2022. She aspires to attend the University of Florida, where she will start her studies to be a marine biologist.
Kylee Kerr
Kylee, the 12-year-old daughter of Kevin and Stephanie Kerr of Lawtey, is competing in the Junior Miss category. She is in the seventh grade at Bradford Middle School, where she is an A/B Honor Roll student. Kylee enjoys being part of her church youth group and sharing the news of Jesus to anyone who will listen. Recently, Kylee and a few of her friends from school started a Bible study group, hoping to reach more children with the gospel. Kylee is in her second year cheering for BMS, where she has learned hard work and discipline pay off if you are willing to put forth the effort. An interesting fact about Kylee is she has a passion for all things girly and hopes to become an aesthetician so she can make others feel beautiful.
Taylin Holsenbeck
Taylin, the 9-year-old daughter of Dalton and Whitney Holsenbeck of Starke, is competing in the Junior Miss category. She is in the fourth grade at Southside Elementary School, where she is currently Miss Southside. She is an A/B Honor Roll student and in her second year of gifted classes. She is in 4-H of Bradford County and will show her pig, Oliver, in this year’s fair. Taylin has done pageants since she was 3 and loves every minute of being on stage, having fun. In her spare time, Taylin loves to spend time with her family in Georgia hunting. She also spends time hanging out with her younger brother and sister. When she grows up, she wants to be one of the best country singers to stand in the Grand Ole Opry Circle in Nashville.
Hailey Griffis
Hailey, the 14-year-old daughter of Jeanne Osteen and Kyle Griffis of Lawtey, is competing in the Teen Miss category. She is in eighth grade at Bradford Middle School, where she is the chapter president of Future Farmers of America, a majorette and was voted 2022-23 Winter Queen by her peers at the Winter Formal. Hailey loves to show livestock and competes in a variety of competitions associated with agriculture. When Hailey graduates, she plans to become an anesthesiologist. In her spare time, she likes to go hunting with her dad and her brother or binge watch Netflix. A fun fact about Hailey is she has participated in the Miss Bradford Fest pageant since she was 6.
Bailey Varnes
Bailey, the 14-year-old daughter of Erika Kemp of Lake Butler, is competing in the Teen Miss category. She is in the ninth grade at Union County High School, where she is an A Honor Roll student. She is on the UCHS Tigerettes team and an active member of the Lake Butler Future Farmers of America. A big accomplishment of Bailey’s is establishing her own herd of cattle. She volunteers during the Bradford and Union County fairs. Bailey loves to dance, and she loves dogs. Two interesting facts about Bailey are that she loves to fish and her favorite holiday is Halloween. She plans to attend Texas A&M to study Animal Science and eventually become a veterinarian.
Sydney Box
Sydney, the 16-year-old daughter of Jacob and Laresa Box of Lake Butler, is competing in the Teen Miss category. She is in the 11th grade at Union County High School, where she is an A/B Honor Roll student. Sydney is a member of the UCHS varsity cheerleading team. She is on two all-star cheer teams at NFE and also coaches a level-1 tumbling class. Sydney is involved in showing livestock through the Lake Butler FFA chapter and Union County 4-H. In her spare time, she practices photography and assists her aunt with photo shoots. Three words that describe Sydney would be compassionate, hardworking and joyful.
Chloe Anderson
Chloe, the daughter of Chazz and Paige Anderson of Starke, is competing in the Teen Miss category. She is a junior at Bradford High School, where she is a dual-enrolled honors student. She plays varsity volleyball and hold leadership positions in both FFA and Student Government. One of her biggest accomplishments was overcoming her fear of public speaking by participating in theater and competing in public-speaking events for FFA. She placed second in the Tri-County area. She has volunteered in many different settings, but enjoyed her time at the Rainbow Center the most. Chloe plans to graduate with honors and an AA Degree from Santa Fe College and then attend a four-year university.
Remington Hipps
Remington, the 13-year-old daughter of Jesse and Lindsay Hipps of Starke, is competing in the Teen Miss category. She is a seventh-grade student at Lake Butler Middle School and is an A/B Honor Roll student. A big accomplishment for Remi was stepping out of her comfort zone and competing in Miss Winter Fest 2022 (she is the reigning title holder for her division). Remi has done competitive cheer with North Florida Elite for four seasons, participated in BMS cheerleading and is currently a junior coach for NFE’s Tiny Sugar Plums. Once Remi graduates from high school, she plans to attend college to become an NICU pediatric nurse.
Liberty Harahus
Liberty, the 19-year-old daughter of Tasha Bennett-Baucom and Herbert Baucom of Starke, is competing in the Miss category. She graduated from Bradford High School with her CNA and CPR certifications. A fun fact about Liberty is this is her second pageant. Her first pageant was less than a month ago. Liberty decided to start doing pageants to help build confidence in herself and step out of her comfort zone. Liberty plans to attend Santa Fe College in the spring to begin working toward her goal of becoming a NICU nurse. She would like to thank all her family and friends for the endless support that they have given to her.
Kimberly Palmer
Kimberly, the 19-year-old daughter of Tim and Vicki Palmer of Lake Butler, is competing in the Miss category. She was 2022 Miss Union County High School. Kimberly has worked at Nutrition Escape since she was 16, and she has taught dance for four years to 3-4-year-olds. Kimberly has worked with and continues to work with individuals with exceptional needs, and this continues to be one of her greatest passions. She is a sophomore at Florida Gateway College, where she maintains a 3.82 GPA and made the President’s List for the 2022 fall term. She plans to attend Santa Fe College, where she will earn a degree in Radiology Technology.
Kyndall Key
Kyndall, the 17-year-old daughter of Chris and Misy Key of Starke, is competing in the Miss category. She is in the 12th grade at Bradford High School, where she has earned three industry certifications. She is the president of the FFA chapter and vice-president of the Skills USA chapter, as well as a member of Bradford County 4-H. Kyndall has volunteered with Meals of Hope to package meals for those in need and with Altrusa to help educate elementary school children about agriculture by reading to them and interacting with them. Kyndall enjoys cooking, welding and being with her cow. She hopes to earn a certificate in welding and one day become an agriculture teacher.
