Lovelady Lovefest Wraps Up With Successful Parade, Festival
By Sarah Naron
Messenger Reporter
LOVELADY – Among the events going on Saturday, Feb. 10 during the 36th annual Lovelady Lovefest were a baking contest, a baby beauty contest and a barbecue cook-off, as well as a parade which awarded prizes to the top three entries.
Sponsored by Weldon Civic Club, the baking contest has been a part of the Lovefest agenda for the past four years. Contestants below the age of 12 could choose between entering cookies or a cake, while contestants competing in the adult category could enter either a bundt cake, cookies, an iced cake or a pie.
In the cakes division of the children’s category, Drew Phillips took first place, Sarah Ham was awarded second place and third place was shared by Josie and Lillian Ditoro. Phillips earned another first-place win in the cakes division, while Alexander Smith-Barry took second place and Skylar Reynolds went home with third place.
Phillips was also awarded grand prize overall in the children’s category.
Among the adults competing with iced cakes, first place went to April Ham, while Theresa Maddux received second place and Cole Phillips enjoyed a third-place win.
Lauren Cimrhanzl was awarded first place in the bundt cakes division, followed by second-place winner Sharon Caylor and third-place winner Maddux.
Maddux proved victorious once again by taking home first place in the cookies division, while second place was awarded to Carolyn Ussery and a third-place win was celebrated by Peggy Wilson.
In the pies division, first place went to Ian Utz, second place was awarded to Cole Phillips and Doris McClung took third place.
April Ham was named as the adult grand prize winner overall.
Competing teams in the annual Lovefest Bar-B-Que, Chili & Pinto Bean Cooking Cook-off, which was sponsored by Lovelady Masonic Lodge #539, were given the chance to show off their grilling skills by cooking beans, brisket, chicken, chili or ribs.
Taking first place in the beans division were the Bluebonnet Cookers, while the Backstabbers took second place. Third place was awarded to Slow Burn, and the Dixie Wrecks came in fourth place. Finishing in fifth place was Two Fired Up.
The Cookers and Lookers received first place in the chili category, while the TDL Cookers celebrated a second-place win. Taking third place were the Lone Star Cookers. Rounding out the winners were Big Easy in fourth place and Smoking Hot and Saucy in fifth.
The Dixie Wrecks snagged another win with first place in the ribs division, followed by repeat winners Big Easy in second place. Celebrating a third-place win were the Damn Yankees, while Cookers and Lookers took fourth place and Asleep at the Pit scored fifth.
The Big Easy team pulled off another win, coming in first place in the chicken division. Come and Take It was awarded second place, followed by the Cookers and Lookers in third, the Damn Yankees in fourth and the Lone Star Cookers in fifth.
In the brisket category, Big Easy took first place once again, while Snafu snagged a second-place win. Two Fired Up received third place, the 835 Cookers came in fourth and the Pit-n-Pigs team took fifth place.
A $200 showmanship award was presented to the Up In Smoke Cookers.
Boys and girls between the ages of newborn and 4 years old participated in the annual Lovefest Baby Beauty Contest, sponsored by the First United Methodist Church of Lovelady.
First place in the boys 0-6 month-old division was awarded to Hollis Harding. James William Adams took second place, and Major Lee McCain took home third place. In the 0-6 month-old girls category, first place went to Allison Claire Bruner, followed by Paisley Lynn Manning in second and Rydi Mane Wells in third.
First place in the 7-12 month-old boys category was Landon Omelina. Rusti Roden received first place in the 7-12 month-old girls division, while second place was awarded to Vivian Scott and Shelby Land took third place.
In the 1-year-old boys division, Casen Joe Easton took first place, followed by J.W. Holt in second and Easton Jody Vincent in third. Receiving first place in the 1-year-old girls category was Hailey Brooke Fennell, while second place went to Jade Rivers and third place was awarded to Raya Wheeler.
Justin Lashley was awarded first place in the 2-year-old boys division, while Jeremiah Richard took home second place. First-place winner of the 2-year-old girls category was Kinsley Babineaux, followed by Abigail Hardin in second and Grace Ray in third.
First place in the 3-year-old boys division was Justin Treadmill, followed by Ashton Sessions in second place. Scoring first place in the 3-year-old girls division was Elizabeth Fennell, while second place went to Jaxyn Burnes.
Lovefest Court Crown Bearer Brody Smith took first place in the 4-year-old boys category, followed by second-place winner John Hardin. Lovefest Court Flower Girl Penelope Ramirez celebrated a first-place win in the 4-year-old girls division, second pace was awarded to Brylee McDonald and third place was taken by Skylar Lane.
Casen Joe Easton and Kinsley Babineaux were awarded the titles of Little Mr. and Miss Lovefest.
The annual Lovefest parade, which began at 10 a.m. Saturday and made its way through the downtown area of Lovelady, saw its own share of winners in a number of different categories.
A joint effort between NAPA Auto Parts, Ace Bail Bonds and Crockett Wrecker took home awards for first place and Best of Theme in the floats division. Second place and Most Sensational were awarded to Antioch Baptist Church, while Lovelady FUMC took third place.
A win for Best of Show in the floats division was celebrated by Lovelady State Bank.
In the decorated cars category, first place was awarded to Lovelady Fire and Rescue. Lovefest Freshman Princess Erin Sample and Lane Kellar took second place, while Davy Crockett Drug was awarded third place. Receiving the Most Original award was Davy Crockett Drug, while the award for Most Unique went to Lovefest Court Crown Bearer and Flower Girl Smith and Ramirez, while Lovelady Baptist Church enjoyed a win for Most Creative.
First place in the antique cars division went to a 1951 Ford Custom owned by Tooter Welch, while Don Hobson’s 1989 Chevy Camaro was awarded second place. Taking home third place was Erin Eldrige’s 1968 Ford 250. An award for Best of Show was presented to Lovelady Fire and Rescue.
Sarah Naron may be reached via email at [email protected].
