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Cairo girl crowned Rose Queen
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KATE PORTER and family pictured at the pageant. Front row, l-r, Will Porter, Kate Porter, Joe Porter and Sonya Porter; back row, Ken Lindgren, Jami Porter and Dick Porter. (Photo Credit: Kevin Lamb Photography)
Kate Porter of Cairo was crowned the 2019 Thomasville Rose Queen during a pageant Saturday evening that also saw Caroline Elkins of Cairo named 4th runner-up. Porter and Elkins were the only Cairo teens in the pageant, which included 10 other contestants.
“Being crowned Thomasville’s Rose Queen is an immense honor and responsibility that I am very excited to take on,” says Porter. “This year marks the 99th year of The Rose Parade and Festival and I could not be more privileged to be a part of the city’s long history.” The daughter of Jami and Joe Porter of Cairo was also the winner of the pageant’s Fitness Award. Porter is the granddaughter of Sonya and Dick Porter of Cairo, Ken Lindgren of Cairo and Kathy Lindgren of Willowbrook, IL.
Both Porter and Elkins are rising seniors at Brookwood School in Thomasville.
In addition to being named 4th runner-up, Elkins was also named Miss Congeniality and winner of the Evening Gown Award. She is the daughter of Paige and Bill Elkins of Cairo, and granddaughter of Billy Elkins and the late Martha Ruth Elkins, and Dot Maxwell and the late Wayne Maxwell, all of Grady County.
Elkins says, “Doing the Rose Queen Pageant was such an unbelievable experience. It was truly amazing to be a part of something so meaningful to Thomasville and the community.”
Porter echoes those sentiments, saying, “The week of the Rose Queen Pageant is truly a time I will remember forever. I spent my week with the best group of girls laughing, smiling, dancing and making memories. I am thankful for the wonderful Junior Service League ladies who allowed me and the other young ladies to make these life long memories.”
In addition to the titles, winners received scholarship money with Porter winning $1,250 for being named queen and $100 for the Fitness award. Elkins won $250 as a runner-up, $100 for Evening Gown, and $50 for Miss Congeniality.
The Rose Queen pageant is sponsored by Thomasville Junior Service League, which describes the pageant as an event that “empowers young women to be thoughtful, vocal and impassioned advocates for themselves and our community, and encourages their pursuit of scholastic achievement as a path towards a bright future.”
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