
CARIBOU, Maine — Two teens are competing in the 2018 Miss Caribou Scholarship Pageant and six girls in the Little Miss Caribou Pageant, being held together on March 24.
Contestants rehearsed for the big night on Friday, March 9, in the Caribou Middle School Cafeteria. The pageants will start at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 24, in the Caribou Performing Arts Center.
Little Miss Caribou contestants are: 6-year-old Sadie Hunter, daughter of Matthew and Amy Hunter; 7-year-old Mallory Maynard, daughter of Spencer and Heather Maynard; 7-year-old Annabelle Smith, daughter of Zach and Elizabeth Smith; 7-year-old Kayleigh Tagett, daughter of Kelsey Taggett; 7-year-old Emily Zell, daughter of James and Bethany Zell; and 8-year-old Vivian Bell, daughter of Vince and Kristi Bell.
Miss Caribou contestants are 16-year-old Ashley Violette, daughter of Jennifer St. Peter; and 17-year-old Makenzie Conroy, daughter of Ralph and Vickie Conroy. Josh Verhoff is sponsoring Violette; and Burger Boy, The Lavender Puff, and The Sign Place are sponsoring Conroy.
Intermittent performances also will be provided during the event by 2017 Miss Caribou Sheridan Blackstone and 2017 Little Miss Caribou Makenzie Cole.
Pageant Director Cheryl Bossie and her daughter Nicole DiVito, who is helping to organize the event, said the Lister Knowlton VFW Auxiliary in Caribou is sponsoring the show. Tickets are $8 per person, with proceeds to benefit the Jefferson Cary Cancer Center.
“The money is staying right here in Caribou and going to Cary Medical Center,” said Bossie on March 9, adding that two of her family members were just diagnosed with cancer that week.
“It hits close to home,” said DiVito. “The pageant specifically supports young girls’ development into leadership roles. And for seniors, who are taking off this year, it’s a scholarship opportunity that supports their future education.”
- Contestants for the title of 2018 Miss Caribou, back row, and Little Miss Caribou pose with the 2017 winners during a rehearsal on March 9 in preparation for the March 24 event at the Caribou Performing Arts Center. In the back row are, from left, Makenzie Conroy, 2017 Miss Caribou Sheridan Blackstone, and Ashley Violette. In the middle row are, from left, Sadie Hunter, Kayleigh Taggett, Vivian Bell, and Emily Zell. Girls in the front are, from left, Annabelle Smith, 2017 Little Miss Caribou Makenzie Cole, and Mallory Maynard. (Christopher Bouchard)
- Little Miss Caribou contestants are ready to perform during the March 24 pageant. Pictured are, from left in the back row, Sadie Hunter, Kayleigh Taggett, Vivian Bell, and Emily Zell. Girls in the front are, from left, Annabelle Smith, 2017 Little Miss Caribou Makenzie Cole, and Mallory Maynard. (Christopher Bouchard)