The race is on to choose the 2009 Watermelon Festival Queen and Junior Princess!  

Candidates for Queen and Junior Queen (and their sponsors) will be busy selling votes at $1 each.   The candidate with the most votes at 7 p.m. on August 10 is the winner!

Learn How You Can Enter the Watermelon Queen Contest

Read the Queen Contest Rules


Meet the 2009 Candidates for Queen



Alexis deLucia
Sponsored by the McGroarty Arts Center


Alexis will be entering Pasadena City College as a Freshman this Fall, majoring in Theater and General Education.  She attended and graduated from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) class of 2009. She has been active in many school and community groups, including the Theater Department, Film Department and Musical Theater Department; Square Peg Theater Company; Jane Austen Club; Girl Scouts; Boy Scouts; Sea Scouts; and TreePeople.  She enjoys acting, singing, and community service.

"I would like to be Queen of the Watermelon Festival because when I was younger, I was sponsored by Cub Scout Troop #326 at Sunland School and I became a Jr. Watermelon Princess. That was the first year they had a junior category. As a Princess, I was proud to represent the communities of Sunland and Tujunga then and would like to do it again. I believe in showing the best our community has to offer. The Watermelon Festival is a time where we all come together to celebrate our communities in the foothills. The people who live in the community, the non-profits and the service clubs all put their best foot forward and everyone benefits. And it’s just great FUN!

When ever I go somewhere as part of an introduction game you are asked to tell a secret no one else knows about you… I put down I was the Jr. Watermelon Princess. Sometimes people are able to guess correctly because they know it was me! Now, I hope I can say I was the Queen!

I just finished my thirteenth year as a Girl Scout. Inspired by my love of history and the arts, I combined two projects into one to complete my Girl Scout Gold Award at the McGroarty Arts Center. I attended both art and ballet classes at the Center as a preschooler and it's a place where history and art come together. "Preserving Our Past, and Growing Our Future" was the name of my project; I completed a garden project and custom framed over 40 documents and artifacts from the McGroarty Estate. I knew this project would have a true impact on my community and would preserve the history of this wonderful place for generations to come."





Kayleigh Raiche
Sponsored by Boy Scout Troop #315

Kayleigh has been involved in the local Sunland-Tujunga community beginning with her involvement in Scouting more than a decade ago.  She served in the local program from Brownies through Juniors and Cadettes to her current Senior Level where she has earned the Bronze and Silver Awards and is currently a Gold Award candidate. 

She eagerly seeks volunteer opportunities in her local and surrounding communities.  Her aftershool activities have included Varsity Water Polo and Volleyball.  She has actively supported her school newspaper by writing articles.

Her organizational involvement includes the National Charity League, Glendale Chapter where she regulary contributes volunteer hours to the LA Zoo, Special Olympics, the Salvation Army, YWCA Glendale, the American Red Cross and local hospitals. 

"I would like to be Queen of the Watermelon Festival because I love the opportunity to work within the community serving people whenever I can; I thank you for the opportunity to be involved.  I'd like to raise money for Boy Scout troop #315 because it would be contributing to one of the organizations I have grown up next to my entire life."






Ainsley Rickert
Sponsored by the Desi Geestman Foundation, La Crescenta

"I love the idea of being able to represent my community and help an organization that I believe in.  I have always wanted to be the Watermelon Festival Queen ever since I was a little girl.  I believe that more awareness needs to be brought to children with cancer.  These children and their families need all the support and love they can get."

Ainsley has been active in Girl Scouts for 11 years; she has been an intern at the McGroarty Arts Center; she currently is a volunteer at the Desi Geestman Foundation.  She works as a Teacher's Assistant and enjoys art, fashion, literature, camping, Girl Scouts and community service.




Elin Ghazikhanian
Sponsored by the Verdugo Hills High School Interact Club

I believe family goes beyond hereditary ties. I want to create a sense of family in our community. Sunland-Tujunga is a beautiful town with even more beautiful individuals. I believe with dedicated leaders, active volunteers and a positive attitude we can have the best community ever! I am doing all I can to work towards that and I enjoy it.

I have been an active member and the public relations leader of Verdugo Hills High School Interact club, which is a junior Rotary Club. In this club I have:

• proposed the idea, helped organize and run the Students’ Foothill Anti-Drug Walk
  
  
• volunteered at Game Night in which we raised $400 for Direct Relief.
  
  
• volunteered at LA Food Bank, Environmental Youth Conference, and the Cherry Blossom Festival.
  
  
• attended meetings of the Interact Club, Sunland-Tujunga Rotary club, and collaborative meetings with Delphi Academy Interact Club. I love to make positive changes and contribute in any way I can.

At school I am the cofounder of Verdugo Hills High School Creative Writing Club and I have contributed articles to our school’s newspaper, La Yuca, in Journalism.

In the community I have worked at the voting polls and right now I am working along with Sunland-Tujunga Rotary Club and members of the Interact Club to open up a free tutoring center at Sunland Park for our community.





Meet the 2009 Candidates for Junior Queen

Heather Choi
Sponsored by P.A.V.A, Pacific American Volunteer Association

Heather Choi is fourteen years old and will soon be a sophomore at Polytechnic HS in Pasadena.

Her favorite subjects at school are French and art because “they are really fun and they both come so easily to me.” Her hobbies include drawing and painting as well as playing sports. She loves softball and tennis the most. When she isn’t busy with sport or art activities, she loves to do volunteer work and especially enjoys working with PAVA because they help make the environment a cleaner place. On the weekends, PAVA volunteers go to parks or rivers and pick up trash. “I think it’s really fun to help out, and ever since I started volunteering, I became really interested in the environment. Heather also tutors at a library in Monterey Park where she helps students improve their English. Because she also loves animals, she would like to help out at an animal shelter. When she grows up, she wants to become a dermatologist and continue to do volunteer work and hopes to be able to help many people.

“The reason why I am interested in becoming the Junior Queen this year is because I have gained a lot of experience working with the Lions Club for two years and I love coming to the Watermelon Festival. This will be my third year attending/helping out and I’ve really enjoyed it. Last year, I was the Junior Princess and the year before, I helped my older sister (who was a princess) sell raffle tickets. Where I live, there aren’t any festivals during the summer where there are fun contests, free music, and cool booths. That’s why I love the Watermelon Festival and would be honored to be the Junior Queen and I promise to do my best."




Maggie Ryder
Sponsored by the Verdugo Hills YMCA

Maggie graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes School in June, and will be a freshman this coming year at Verdugo Hills High School.

She loves dancing, singing, acting and sports, especially volleyball, soccer, and snowboarding. Maggie is excited to be given the opportunity to be a Junior Watermelon Princess representing our local YMCA. Maggie and her 4 older siblings and parents have been involved with the Sunland-Tujunga YMCA for the past 25 years. She looks forward to helping raise money for the YMCA because she sees first hand how their money goes toward programs that help people of all ages from tots to senior citizens within her own community.

Recently Maggie has assisted in the following various volunteer opportunities:
Assisted the Boy Scouts to build new bleachers for OLL school.
Participated in numerous fundraisers to purchase a "Green House" for OLL school.
Helped produce and edit a 100 page Yearbook for her 8th Grade Graduating Class.
Helped run the Recycling Program for Cans and Bottles at OLL.
Participated in Student Council for two years and attended a five day seminar on Leadership Training.
Helped as an Office Assistant for her school's Religious Outreach Program on a weekly basis.
Sings at various Convalescent Homes during the holidays.
Currently she is seeking volunteer opportunities with the YMCA.

She said that "I would like to be the Junior Queen of the Watermelon Festival because I think it is a great opportunity for me to give back to my community."














Meet the Courts of Festivals Past

Festival Court 2008
Festival Court 2007
Festival Court 2006
Festival Court 2005