Being selected to wear the crown was quite a shock to Kaitlyn Ferrell last June as she stood on the Pageant stage amidst the contestants. She knew she had prepared well and had done a fairly decent job in the Interview with Judges, in playing the flute during her talent presentation, and in the all-important evening gown competition. Being naturally shy, Kaitlyn had been a little bit out of her comfort zone but followed through with her parents’ advice to do her best. Imagine her shock and surprise when her name was called as the judges pick for the title of 2018 Hopkins County Dairy Festival Queen! And she has been an excellent representative. Now, one year later, Kaitlyn’s smile reveals a more self-assured young woman ready to launch into college and her future plans for life. She admits, some of her confidence and polish is due to her year representing Hopkins County as Dairy Festival Queen. And much is also due to a pair of great parents and a pleasant, nurturing home life, according to Kaitlyn during a KSST Good Morning Show interview.
The daughter of Jeremy and Kristi Ferrell, Kaitlyn and her sister grew up attending First Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs. She got into Band in sixth grade and learned to play the flute. At Sulphur Springs High School, she spent all four years in Varsity Band, on the Cross Country team and in the National Honors Society. She signed up for dual-credit classes, attaining college credits while in high school and was in the top ten percent of her class, graduating with honors in May 2019. All that was balanced with numerous public appearances as Queen in parades, pageants and ribbon cuttings, spending time with the new field of Queen’s contestants and preparing for the Pageant. This summer, she is also taking some classes at PJC and getting ready to transfer to Texas A and M University, Commerce in the Fall to pursue a degree in Psychology. Her relaxation hours are spent writing, doing photography and taking care of her Pomeranian dog ‘Pocko’.
When asked what she will most take away from her tenure as 2018 Dairy Festival Queen, Kaitlyn replied “I have learned that we are always influencing others and setting an example, all the time. People are always watching, and the example you set needs to be a good one. My parents have told me that, and they also say ‘once you start something, finish it’. So I think that is good solid advice for whatever anyone plans to do in life. I hope to have passed along to this year’s contestants to always have good morals and set a good example, whether they wear a crown or not, and in whatever they do in life”. During the Dairy Festival Pageant and Coronation on Saturday June 15, 2019, Kaitlyn will perform the first movement of “La Flute De Pan” by composer Jules Mouquet. Watch for Queen Kaitlyn in a champagne-colored ball gown as she takes her final walk and crowns a new Dairy Festival Queen. Tickets to Saturday’s 7pm Pageant are $10 at the door of the SSISD Auditorium of the Civic Center,1200 Houston Street in Sulphur Springs, Texas.
