Meet the Peanut Queen Candidates
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
GRAPELAND – For generations of young Sandiettes, becoming Peanut Queen truly is a dream come true. You go in the town history books for all time. Little girls hope to be you someday. You are paraded and celebrated and wear the crown with pride, taking your place in the sun, until time to pass it on.
Modern times come with many distractions – more than the television or records which kept us so “busy”. The last few years have seen Grapeland struggle to entice young students to run for the highest honor in the city. Kids seem so much busier these days, from an early age. I remember hours of doing a lot of nothing, but young students today always seem to be going somewhere, to do something.
Plus, many kids today show their talents on screens, big and small, instead of the musical instruments, singing and dancing many of us did in our youth – when the world was in black and white.
Grapeland, however, has produced two candidates for Peanut Queen worthy of the title, the legacy and the honor. These two young ladies both represent what we all still love about the little city with the big water tower, the little white church and the big heart.
17-year-old candidate Isabelle Lane is a senior and grew up in Grapeland. Asked about her plans after she finishes high school, Lane gave a surprising answer.
“I am joining the army. I will get sworn in this Tuesday,” she said, feeling the impact of saying those words out loud.
Lane explained she took tests last year for the Army and did well, so decided to join up. Almost immediately after graduation, it’s off to basic training, later to become a medic and save others.
Admitting her senior year has been much easier after that always tough junior year, Lane said she didn’t exactly sign up on her own to run for Queen.
“I have an older sister who competed and my mom told me, ‘You are doing it, too,’” Lane laughed. “I wasn’t sure, but after they came to the school and explained it, I decided to do it.
Lane laughed when it was pointed out she joined the army willingly, only to have to be drafted to become Peanut Queen.
Sponsored by George Bartee Construction, Lane said she is doing well, having already finished her float, with fancy dress purchased and ready for the talent competition.
“I’d be very honored to win something so special to our town. It’s been going on for so long,” Lane commented.
Grapeland Senior Macie Watson just celebrated her 18th birthday and is also a candidate for this year’s Peanut Queen. Watson has been busy around the county, competing and winning other competitions such as Houston County Fair Queen.
Watson also grew up in Grapeland and is a lifelong Sandiette.
“Senior year has been going good. I’m really enjoying the year so far, with all of the peanut festivities coming up, it’s really exciting,” Watson said.
Asked how she ever allowed herself to be talked into becoming a candidate, Watson joked, “I’ve been wondering that for the past week, after all this stress we’ve been through!”
Watson said in spite of the hard work, becoming Peanut Queen is a dream which lives in the heart of any true Sandiette.
“I grew up watching it my whole life and if you grow up here you look forward to doing it your whole life,” Watson said. “It’s just a dream you have.”
Sponsored by Grapeland Urgent Care, Watson’s float is also just about ready for primetime, with a few surprises, which Watson would not divulge, even when this reported asked “pretty-please”.
She was able to pick a formal dress from a business in Lufkin and reported the process was very quick: “It was the fifth dress I tried on!”
Watson is joining the Grapeland Volunteer Fire Department and will become EMS certified later this year, so she can serve on the ambulance. She plans to go on and go to nursing school, looking to work in an ICU or emergency room.
“Becoming the 79th annual Peanut Queen would really mean the world to me, Watson said. “I have watched the pageant for as far back as I can remember. It would just be a dream fulfilled.”
The Messenger asked each what they thought their reactions might be if their name is announced as winner:
“I will definitely have some tears,” Watson said. “I might collapse on that stage,” Watson said.
“I’ll have a big smile on my face, because I’m not really a crier or anything like that,” was Lane’s response.
With two bright candidates, each going into careers to serve others, Grapeland can be proud of the generations heading out into the world. They show the kind of young women our area still produces, in spite of some of the craziness in the world beyond.
Our sympathies to the judges, who must try and decide between the two.
If you have never made time to come to the pageant, you are missing a lot. The show is always well produced and put together, designed to highlight the candidates’ skill and talents, and is fun for Sandies and tourists, alike.
The Peanut Queen Coronation will be held Saturday Oct. 12, beginning at 6 p.m. at Lorena Shoultz Auditorium.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
