Michelle Gregory Named
New Cover Girl And
Lantana and John Arthur Martinez
Draw Curtain on Fall Festival '05
by: Bobby McDonald
Fall Festival Cover Girl Kaytlin Black thanks Hopkins County, her family, and the entire Fall
Festival organization, as she performs one of her last duties, on stage, Saturday night at the
Star Nite Performance. Kelly Stonaker, Chairman of the Cover Girl Committee looks on.
Black, far left, called each of the 2005 Cover Girl Contestants to the stage and introduced them.
They are l to r, Sloane Martin, Cherish Bolton, Whitney Mitchell, Gayle Spearman, Michelle Gregory,
and Hope Grimes.
A week of decorating windows, riding in parades, milking cows, cutting up chickens, and even tractor driving, ended for six talented young ladies, who aspired to be the new Hopkins County Fall Festival Cover Girl. "With six beautiful, fun, and talented young ladies as we had in the contest this year, it is very, very difficult to name the winner," expressed Kelly Stonaker, Chairman of the Cover Girl Committee. "We've gotten to know each of these young ladies and have grown to love them all!"
Whitney Mitchell was singled-out as the Ticket Sales Winner and was also selected as the parade conveyance winner. And, Cherish Bolton was chosen by her peers for the Miss Congeniality Award.
Hope Grimes was selected 2nd Runner-up in the Cover Girl Competition. And, Gayle Spearman, representing Como-Pickton School, was chosen for the 1st Runner-up position. Michelle Gregory, sixteen year old daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Cephus W. Gregory, was named the new Cover Girl and will be featured at a variety of events throughout the year, and appear on the 2006 Hopkins County Fall Festival Program Cover.
John Arthur Martinez, feature performer at the Star Nite Concert, embraces the Cover Girls as
they are named winners at Saturday nights performance. L to R, Hope Grimes, 2nd Runner-up,
Martinez, Kaytlin Black 2005 Cover Girl, Michelle Gregory 2006 Cover Girl, and Gayle Spearman,
1st Runner-up in the contest.
New Cover Girl.........Michelle Gregory is congratulated by Kaytlin Black 2005 Cover Girl, after
she was announced as the winner of the 2006 title.
The ink hardly had time to dry on the official ballot for Cover Girl Competition, before Lantana took to the stage and began a lively, "show stopping" performance, to kick-off the musical presentation of Star Nite, in the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center. The vivacious trio of 40 year old women sang selections from their current CD, "It's A Good Life," and gave the audience a preview of what to expect on the up and coming 2006 release that will be available in January. The former Karol Ann Kelty, a Sulphur Springs native, was one of the lead singers in the trio and had many family members and friends in the audience to hear the outstanding performance.
Lantana performing on stage, to the delight of the crowd, at Saturday night's Fall Festival Star Nite.
The former Karol Ann Kelty, a SSHS graduate and Sulphur Springs native, delivers an outstanding
performance as a member of the trio, Lantana.
It was a hard act to follow, for John Arthur Martinez, as he brought his own brand of Country and Western and Tejanno Music to the stage on Saturday night. But, Martinez wooed the audience with a series of ballads that he had written, himself, as well as performed a variety of other songs that quickly won the audience over. Martinez shared personal inspiration from his life that had influenced the songs that he had written and revealed that his original career intentions had included being a high school or college creative writing teacher. However, he started "playing" with music and words, and that landed him doing what he loves. Martinez's performance ended the 2005 Hopkins County Fall Festival, except for all of the committee meetings that will be completed in the next month, with expectations for an even better County Fair in 2006!
Feature performer, John Arthur Martinez, closes the curtain on
Fall Festival '05, with his Star Nite Performance in the Hopkins
County Regional Civic Center.