HOULTON, Maine — New royalty was crowned Thursday evening as Jay Tweedie and Emma Merrill were selected as the 2018 Peanut King and Queen.
The 63rd annual Peanut Carnival drew a large crowd to the recreation center as youngsters played a variety of games, paying with peanuts and winning peanuts as prizes. For decades, the Houlton Recreation Department has closed out its summer “Just For Kids” program with the popular peanut carnival.
Tweedie, the son of Tim and Erica Tweedie, and Merrill, the daughter of Matt and Ashley Schools received their crowns from the 2017 king and queen — Jayce Morse and Taylor London — at the conclusion of Thursday’s festivities.
Tweedie and Merrill represented the 11-13 age group. Other candidates included Hailey Flewelling and Stevie Suitter, ages 5-6; Trinity Bartley and Grady Woods, ages 7-8; Amelia Flewelling and Finn Gardiner, ages 9-10.
The king and queen are chosen based on votes placed by attendees of the Peanut Carnival.
For Tweedie, capturing the crown carries on a proud family tradition as his mother was also a Peanut Carnival queen, while both of his grandmothers were also pageant contestants.
According to his grandmother Sharon Ewings McGary, she competed against Susan Brewer Tweedie for the crown 50 years ago, with Tweedie winning the title. Jay’s mother, Erica, won the crown about 30 years ago, having the title passed on to her by her cousin Elissa Skehan Madore.
(Photos by Joseph Cyr)
