Festival Entertainment Part Two: Little Miss Firecracker Pageant to Feature 11 Local Little Ladies

Folino stage is about to “Explode” with charisma and charm as eleven little ladies take the stage for the 6th Annual Little Miss Firecracker pageant.

The festivities begin at 11:15 a.m. on Friday June 30th during the Ellwood City Arts, Crafts, Food & Entertainment Festival.

The event will be emceed by Mindy Wilson with pageant assistants and former Little Miss Firecracker title holders: Aria Cannon (2019 winner) and Dia Greco (2018 winner).

The crowd will get to witness the contestants as they impress the three judges (Rochelle Spagnolo, Nicole Clow and Richard Griffith) on stage with their stage presence, patriotic outfit, and a brief interview. The interview is based on their hobbies and interests from their application.

“There’s no talent show involved,” said New Pageant Chair Jenn Greco. “It’s designed for the girls to have fun and not be so competitive. “You never know what they will say at this age, so as you can imagine it will be very entertaining!”

The ages of the contestants range from 5 to 8 years old this year, according to Greco.

“We have a good mix of girls on stage this year!”

All the participants will receive trophies, sashes, and gift bags. There will be a winner for patriotic spirit award (highest score in outfit division), 1st runner up award (2nd highest overall score), and one overall winner (highest overall score) will be crowned Little Miss Firecracker 2023 and will receive a winner sash and crown donated by Blocher Jewelers.

“The winner also gets to ride in our annual Memorial Day parade and will be featured in local articles etc. so they get to feel like a local celebrity for the year!”

This year’s impressive lineup and their business sponsors are:

Isabella Alexander (Ryan Alexander Realtor, Berkshire Hathaway)
McKenna Babcock (Kimmel’s Bakery)
Reagan Boariu (Venezie Sporting Goods)
Wren Isabella Cortez (Shell Lubricants)
Trinity Craig (AG Studio Pro LLC)
Olivia Davis (Creative Hues LLC)
Ella Fauzey (Saffron & Sage)
Jordyn Goehring (North Country Bee Works)
Lennon Greco (Venezie Sporting Goods)
Brianna Hoffmeier (Hoffmeier Storage)
Korralee Wilson (Smokin Dave’s BBQ)

The Little Miss Firecracker pageant first originated in 2014 with Becky Guisler.

“She brought the event to the Ellwood city festival and is responsible for its past success and really has made it a hometown tradition for all of us to enjoy.”

Greco said she noticed that the pageant was absent from the Festival for three years during COVID and Guisler stepping down as chair, so she decided to reach out to the Festival committee. She couldn’t be happier with her decision to do so.

“My family and I have always enjoyed going to the festival each year and the little miss firecracker pageant was always one of our favorites. When my daughter was old enough to participate, she did! And in 2018 she won the title. So, it holds a special place in my heart, and I want other girls in our town to have the same opportunity as she did. So, it’s really exciting to see it come back to life!”

Greco said she can’t wait for the pageant.

“In the past, it has always been a cute, family-oriented event that our town looked forward to each year and quickly became a hometown tradition.”

And she said one of the best parts is how exciting it is for the participants.

“The best part about the pageant is seeing the girls’ personalities shine on stage, the excitement of dressing up and selecting their patriotic outfit, and making new friends in the community!”