This year marks the 24th year of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum Crawfish Music Festival in Biloxi. Although most fairs and festivals celebrate the special event with a pageant, a touch of royalty was missing — that is, until Tori Bishop, an account manager with WXXV25, set out on a mission to add some pageantry pizzazz.
When she approached Kendra Simpson, event marketing manager with the Coliseum, about the need for a Crawfish Fest Queen, Simpson loved the idea and the process began.
Debra Godber, a local pageant director, soon came on board and partnered with WXXV25 to produce the pageant. Godber has more than 20 years of pageant experience and her son and daughter are the reigning Little Miss and Mr. Magnolia.
On April 14, Kaitlyn Orth was crowned as the festival’s first Crawfish Queen. She is a sophomore at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College with a 3.5 GPA, and describes herself as an adventurous person who enjoys the outdoors and celebrating life and encouraging those she loves.
“I enjoy uplifting others through my personal blog called Operation C.R.O.W.N.,” Orth says. “I like spending time with my family and friends, and I generally love doing just about anything, especially the most simple things. It doesn’t take much to make me happy because I truly appreciate all of the little things in life; they make me happy!”
The pageant had nine contestants ranging in age from 17-23 who were competing for a $1,000 scholarship from Dad’s Super Pawn.
Thanks to support from the community and sponsors, the pageant will now be an annual event at the Crawfish Music Festival. Sponsors included Dad’s Super Pawn, Belk, Massage Envy, Gulf Coast Woman, Flowers Forever, Gatlin’s and Papa Johns.