Festival crowns first Miss Diamond Daze
When the first Diamond Daze was held in 2006, and in the years since, the annual fete has featured just about everything one would expect to find in a community festival — vendors, car show, live entertainment, barbecue cook off, 5K run, corn hole tournament, treasure hunt and children’s zone — as well as the most recent additions of a hot dog-eating competition, 3 on 3 basketball tournament and John Perry Wickett Memorial Junior Rodeo.
When the first Diamond Daze was held in 2006, and in the years since, the annual fete has featured just about everything one would expect to find in a community festival — vendors, car show, live entertainment, barbecue cook off, 5K run, corn hole tournament, treasure hunt and children’s zone — as well as the most recent additions of a hot dog-eating competition, 3 on 3 basketball tournament and John Perry Wickett Memorial Junior Rodeo.
And possibly the biggest addition made its debut Saturday: Miss Diamond Daze, along with seven other age-group pageants.
Trinity Raine Cox, a junior at Sallisaw and 16-year-old daughter of Nick and Tinisha Cox, was crowned the first-ever Miss Diamond Daze.
She enjoys dancing, playing sports, helping on the farm and all outdoor activities, and plans to attend Oklahoma State University to study veterinary medicine, following in her grandfather’s footsteps.
Trinity was sponsored for the pageant by her parents and Valdivia Racing Stables.
Other Miss Diamond Daze contestants in the 16-19 age group were Nevaeh Small, 16, and Kylee Laginess, 18.
Winners of the eight pageants that debuted Saturday at Diamond Daze were (front, from left) Maddilyn Bell, Waylon Owen Wasson, Maddison Overby and Hazel Branham; and (back) Braylee Smith, Adelaide Wasson, Miss Broken Arrow Grace Manuel (who was one of the judges), Miss Diamond Daze Trinity Cox and Harrison Smith. COURTNEY BARKER | TIMES
In other age-group pageants, winners were:
• 12-23 months (girls) — Adelaide Wasson, 14 months. Other contestants were Stella May Tarin, 14 mos.; Savannah Garrett, 16 mos.; and Blakely Prima, 18 mos.
• 12-23 months (boys) — Harrison Smith, 15 months. Other contestant was Jaden Ryan Hyler, 16 mos.
• 2-3 years (girls) — Maddilyn Bell, 3. Other contestants were Ellison Ramos, 2; Oakley Rayne Hyler, 3; and Trinity Tyler, 3.
• 2-3 years (boys) — Waylon Owen Wasson, 2.
• 4-6 years (girls) — Maddison Overby, 6. Other contestant was Brooklyn Fair, 4.
• 7-9 years (girls) — Hazel Branham, 7. Other contestants were Avalynne Goscinski, 7, and Amelia Miller, 8.
• 10-12 years — Braylee Smith, 12.
Although boys were eligible to compete in the 4-6 and 7-9 age groups, no boys entered. Girls were eligible to enter the 13-15 age group, but there were no entries.
Judges for the pageants were reigning Miss Broken Arrow, Grace Manuel, who will compete in the Miss Oklahoma pageant in June; former Mrs. Oklahoma, Jackie Amos Clement; and Billie Amos, Jackie’s mother, who has extensive pageant experience. Deree Stafford coordinated and emceed the pageants for the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce.
Diamond Daze is the successor to the Grapes of Wrath Festival, which was held in October from 1990 to 1998.
Photos and results from other Diamond Daze competitions and activities are scheduled to appear in Friday’s edition of Your TIMES.
