STORY & PHOTOS BY CARL MIZE

Three new queens were crowned on Saturday evening during the 56th annual Carolina Dogwood Festival Pageant in Statesville.

Held at Shearer Hall on the campus of Mitchell Community College, the pageant featured a total of 11 contestants competing in three age divisions.

Five contestants vied for the title of Carolina Dogwood Teen Princess, which was won by Sarah O’Connell. The contestants in this division were judged in interview, fitness, talent, and evening gown/onstage question.

O’Connell demonstrated her sign language skills using Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song” as her musical accompaniment. She was also victorious in both the interview and the fitness categories.

The first runner-up was Lillie Shew, and the second runner-up was Kara Justice. Also participating were Nora Isenhour and Macyn Wix.

O’Connell was crowned by outgoing queen Ava Effler.

Three contestants competed to be the 2025 Carolina Dogwood Queen. Long-time pageant participant and crowd favorite Erika Bullard claimed this title.

In this division, the contestants were judged in Interview, swimsuit, talent, and evening gown/onstage question.

Bullard was awarded the swimsuit trophy as well as being chosen by her fellow contestants as Miss Congeniality. She performed a lyrical dance in the talent segment of the competition.

First runner-up was Kendall Hubbard, and the second runner-up was Bree Silvers.

Erika was crowned by last year’s winner Carter Kincaid.

The last crown awarded went to a former Miss Statesville, Kaitlyn Sparks who is now the reigning Ms. Carolina Dogwood.

This division is tailored for women ages 25 and older. They are judged on interview and a themed sportswear category. There is also an optional talent category, which all three contestants took part in.

Sparks won the talent competition with a vocal rendition of “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman.

The evening gown/onstage question is also part of the judging process.

Payton Huffman was the first runner-up, and Stephanie Wix was the second runner-up.

Sparks was crowned by last year’s winner Suzi Fire, which led to some humorous comments about Sparks following Fire.

Fire, at age 64, is arguably the most senior contestant to ever claim a title in the pageant’s 56-year history.

She comically styled herself as “Social Security Barbie” during her many appearances across the state, and she commented on her past year.

“Having attended the Dogwood Festival since 1971, it was such an honor to finally serve as a Dogwood Queen,” Fire said. “Now, I’m looking forward to serving on the Dogwood Committee to help with future pageants.”

All three women who were crowned on Saturday night will spend a good part of the next year making appearances all over the state representing the Dogwood Festival and the Statesville area.

The pageant also paid a special tribute to long-time pageant champion and organizer Gary Sherrill, who passed away on June 11, 2024. He is a huge part of the Dogwood Festival legacy and is sorely missed.