Josie Anton crowned 2024 festival’s Little Miss Spat
Hailey Bruce was crowned Queen of the 67th Urbanna Oyster Festival and Josie Anton was crowned Little Miss Spat at the Urbanna firehouse on Friday, Nov. 1.
As the 2024 Urbanna Oyster Festival Queen, Bruce received a $5,000 college scholarship.
She also received a $250 scholarship for having the overall best community service project and a $250 scholarship for the academic achievement award.
As the 2024 Little Miss Spat Josie Anton received $150.
Cheyenne Sears was the Queen first runner-up and received a $3,500 college scholarship.
Charlee O’Bryan was first runner-up for Little Miss Spat and received $100.
There was a tie for the Queen second runner-up, which went to Anna Crown and Elena Fomin.
Leah Fuccella was second runner-up for Little Miss Spat.
Queens
Hailey Bruce attends Middlesex High School and lives in Hartfield. She has participated in National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Key Club, student government, varsity volleyball, and varsity tennis.
Hailey maintains a 4.2 grade point average. She also interns with Middlesex High School athletic training program.
She plans to attend Mary Baldwin University to play volleyball and obtain her doctorate in physical therapy.
In her free time she enjoys traveling, playing sports, “hanging out” with friends, and spending time with family. Hailey is the daughter of Christy and Elvin Bruce of Hartfield and granddaughter of Vicki and the late Ernie Blake of Topping and Bonnie and Gary Glascock of Hartfield.
Runners-up
Queen first runner-up Cheyenne Sears attends Middlesex High School. During her high school career, Cheyenne has been an active member of her school. She resides in Hartfield. Cheyenne plays volleyball and swims for Middlesex High School. She plans to attend college next fall to pursue a career in sonography. In her free time, she enjoys painting, playing sports, hanging out with her friends, working, and swimming. Cheyenne is the daughter of Shannon and Curtis Sears; her grandparents are Bobby Sears, and Tim and Gail Spencer.
There was a tie for Queen second runners-up, which went to Anna Crown and Elena Fomin.
During Anna Crown’s Middlesex High School career, she has been an active member of the National Honor Society, a yearbook editor, class officer, student representative of the Middlesex County School Board, and a special education class intern. Anna resides in Wake. She plays on the tennis team at Middlesex High School.
She plans to attend college next fall, and pursue her bachelor’s degree in elementary education.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her animals, as well as baking, and her volunteer work with the Colonial Seaport Foundation. Anna is the daughter of Michelle and Bubbie Crown; her grandparents are Rochelle Payne, and the late Bobby Payne, Mary Almond and the late John Crown.
During Elena Fomin’s Middlesex High School career, she has been an active member of National Honor Society, and she is her class historian.
Elena resides in Deltaville. Elena plays on competition cheer, is a sideline cheer, a basketball cheerleader, swims, runs track, and plays soccer at Middlesex High School. She plans to attend Sweet Briar next fall for soccer and track. In her free time, she enjoys being with her friends and family. Elena is the daughter of Amanda Powell and Daniel Fomin; her grandparents are Maya and Vladimir Fomin, and Melissa and Kirk Edwards.
First runner-up Little Miss Spat Charlee O’Bryan is a first-grade student at Middlesex Elementary School and lives in Topping. She is the daughter of Heather Killian, and the granddaughter of the late Barbara Killian and Charles Akers, and Reese O’Bryan. Charlee enjoys riding her bike, playing softball, and learning new things. When she grows up, she wants to be a teacher and a mom.
Second runner-up Little Miss Spat Leah Fuccella is a first grader at Middlesex Elementary School and resides in Deltaville. Leah Fuccella is the daughter of Kevin Fuccella and Mikella Musik, the granddaughter of Bill and Lisah Lech, and Sally and George Davis. She enjoys playing with her dolls, drawing, singing, dancing and riding her bike. When she grows up, she wants to be a veterinarian.
The other Little Miss Spat contestants each received $25.
In alphabetical order they include:
Felicity Acevedo, Scarlett Ebinger, Monroe Hudnall, Rosie Robertson, and Holden Sweeden.
Service
The foundation of this competition is character building and community service. Each Queen contestant must volunteer a minimum of 25 hours benefiting Middlesex County. This year’s Queen and Spat contestants volunteered well more than the required time, completing more than 500 hours and donating more than $25,000 for Middlesex County organizations.
The Queen contestants are judged in five areas:
- Individual community service project.
- Individual judges’ interview.
- Academic achievement.
- A spontaneously written response to a random question.
- Overall participation in the competition.
The Little Miss Spat contestants are judged separately from the Queen contestants in the following areas:
- Participation at an ice cream social and a tea party.
- Individual judges’ interview.
The judges were not from Middlesex County.
Community service
As the Oyster Festival has evolved over the years, so has the selection of the Queen and Little Miss Spat (a spat is a baby oyster). What was once a beauty pageant is now a scholarship-based competition for the Queens. The Queen contestants must be high school seniors and residents of Middlesex County. Each Queen contestant mentors a first-grade contestant as her Little Miss Spat. The Queen and Little Miss Spat competition starts early in the spring and extends through the summer.
Sponsors
This scholarship com-petition is made possible by the generosity of local businesses. The scholarship sponsors include Bethpage Camp-Resort, C&F Bank, Dr. Ben Lennon DDS, Carroll Heating and Plumbing, Coastal Excavation, In memoriam of Diane Gravatt, Faulkner Funeral Home and Cremation, Grey’s Point Camp, J&W Seafood, Price Properties, Primis Bank, River Country Pet Loss & Cremation Center, River Wood Works, Rosegill Development LLC, Ryman’s A/C & Heating, Thurston Properties, Towne Insurance, River Birch Nursery, Florist and Gifts, Massey Urbanna Builders’ Supply, Middlesex Woman’s Club, Westgate-Williamsburg Marketing and Jason and Emily Rowe.
Other supporters include the Town of Urbanna, Lower United Methodist Church, Deltaville Maritime Museum, Chesapeake Inn, and Bethpage Creamery for hosting events, and River Birch Florist, which designed the flowers.
