$1.50
Covering Milford, Syracuse & North Webster, Indiana
griffith’s wawasee marina
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Family Owned Since 1946
“In The Boat Again!” • SALES • SERVICE • STORAGE
wawaseemarina.com
(260) 856-2286
9171 E. Ross Drive, SYRACUSE
themail-journal.com
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Faulkner named 2023 Mermaid Festival Queen of Lakes &+(&.,1* 7+,1*6 287 ³ 6\UDFXVH 7RZQ &RXQFLOPDQ 1D WKDQ 6FKHUHU IDU ULJKW WDNHV D ORRN DV UHSDLUV DUH EHLQJ PDGH RQ WKH UDLOURDG EULGJH EHWZHHQ 6\UDFXVH /DNH DQG /DNH :DZDVHH
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Railroad bridge to be open for holiday weekend %\ /$85(1 =(8*1(5 6WDII :ULWHU While repair work on the railroad bridge between Syracuse Lake and Lake Wawasee contin-
ues, both sides of the bridge will be open starting Friday, June 30, through the holiday weekend. Work on the bridge is expected to be completed in early August, weather permitting.
The crew from Penhall Company, the company doing the repair work, will be pulling its equipment Thursday, June 29, and return to its base in Houston, Texas, for the Fourth of
July holiday. After the holiday, the crew will return and complete the work. Repairs to the east side of the bridge will take another week to Continued on page 2
Cutie contest crowns new royalty %\ .(,7+ .1(33 6WDII :ULWHU Parents, family, friends and community members crowded the gymnasium bleachers inside the North Webster Community Center Friday evening as the annual Cutie Contest looked to crown its 2023 Mermaid Festival Cutie Queen and Cutie King. Fourteen young ladies, ranging in age from 5-7 took stage alongside eight young gentlemen, each hoping to eventually earn the crown and sash that would forever add their names to Mermaid Festival history. In the end, Amelia Beer and Cruz Turner would earn the coveted titles of Cutie Queen and King. Beer, 7, is the daughter of Jason and Whitney Beer of Milford, while
%\ .(,7+ .1(33 6WDII :ULWHU Miss Hoffman Lake Jaela Faulkner was crowned Queen of Lakes during the 77th Mermaid Festival’s annual pageant, held Saturday evening inside the North Webster Community Center. She was one of 18 contestants ranging in age from 16-22 who were vying for the prestigious crown. Faulkner, a resident of Bourbon and a student at Manchester University, is majoring in exercise science and plans to continue her education with the ultimate goal of obtaining a doctorate in occupational therapy with a specialization in pediatrics. “I decided to become a contestant in the Queen of Lakes pageant to further my involvement in the community, spend some time with old friends and make some new friends,” said Faulkner. Serving as members of the Queen’s court for the coming year will be Miss Sechrist Lake, Janna Tausch, Bourbon, first runner-up; Miss Camelot Lake Chloe Bollinger,
South Whitley, second runner-up; and Miss Yellow Creek Lake Bri McBrier, Mentone, third runner-up. The queen and her court each earned scholarship money from the Shoop Sports and Youth Foundation to use toward their higher education. Scholarship amounts ranged from $500-$2,000. Judges for the pageant were Kelsey Nebbeling, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Terri Edmiston, Roanoke; and LeeAnn Smith, Roanoke. The evening’s emcee, Phil Metcalf, also announced the winners of two additional awards. The North Webster Lions Club Community Service Award was presented to Miss Little Tippy Lake Alexis Stump, while the Miss Congeniality Award was given to Faulkner. Additionally, the winners of the parade float competition were named. Each queen candidate was required to participate in the Mermaid Festival parade, held earlier in the day, and were judged for scholarship prizes. Earning the top award was McBrier, followed by Miss Center Lake Gwendolyn Frank and Faulkner.
Indiana’s Largest Marina Over 90 Years of Exceptional Service and Products
&52:16 $1' 6$6+(6 ³ $PHOLD %HHU OHIW DQG &UX] 7XUQHU ZHUH FKRVHQ DV WKH 0HUPDLG )HVWLYDO 4XHHQ DQG .LQJ RQ )ULGD\ -XQH 3KRWR E\ .HLWK .QHSS Turner, 6, is the son of Aaron and Abby Turner of Leesburg. Members of the court on the girls’ side, in order of finish, are Remington Nabinger, North Webster; Reagan Risedorph, Milford; and Julia Cotton, Fort Wayne. On the boys’ court are Phinneus DuBois, North Webster; Micah Snider, Pierceton; and Axel Lewallen, Leesburg. As always, emceeing the event was Phil Metcalf, who informed the crowd that judging was based on the candidates attitude, cooperation, attire, self-confidence and appearance, saying “neatness and cleanliness counts.” Each candidate was given a score of 1-10 by each of
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the six judges. Once the scores were added up, the contestants with the highest tallies were named the winners. This year’s judges were Ed Beckner, Mona Beckner, Christopher Smith, LeeAnn Smith, Jeanette Keim and Coryn Barton. As part of the contest, the winners of the annual Cutie Parade, which was held in downtown North Webster Wednesday night, were announced. There were three categories of entry: walking, hand drawn
and motorized. Parade winners were: Walking: Wade Anderson , first place; Mason Ruch, second; Jensen Lovely, third; and Cruz Turner, fourth. Hand drawn: Mallory Maynard, first place; Henry Beer, second; Aubrey Granger, third; and AJ Kimmel, fourth. Motorized: Lincoln Granger, first place; Emily Laureys, second; Zane Grady, third; and Phinneus DuBois, fourth.
NAUTIQUE | JC PONTOON | FOUR WINNS SUPREME | YAMAHA WAVERUNNER | HOBIE CAT
6521 E. Cornelius Road, Syracuse, IN 46567 Hours: Monday-Saturday 9 am-5 pm • Closed Sunday
574.457.4404
wawaseeboat.com
7+ 2) -8/< :((.(1' 6$/(
FRI., JUNE 30TH - TUES., JULY 4TH WAKEBOARDS WATER SKIS LIFE JACKETS
INFLATABLES SUP & KAYAKS BOAT ACCESSORIES
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