Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH WEBSTER - Fourteen young women competed for the title of Queen of the Lakes 2025, but at the end of the pageant Saturday at the North Webster Community Center, it was Ava Weldy’s name called.
“I am so shocked and insanely grateful,” she said afterward. “This is my first pageant from when I was like 6 in the Cutie pageant here.”
She said the whole Queen of the Lakes pageant experience was incredible.
“I knew it was going to be fun because I’ve had friends in it, but I didn’t think it was going to be as fun as it was. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, not in a bad way!”
Ava, 17, of Syracuse, the daughter of Dan Weldy and Darci Lutz, competed as Miss Shoe Lake. Her sponsor was Barefoot Cottage, Pierceton. She is a senior at Wawasee High school.
Her court includes:
• Third runner-up Chloe Bollinger, 20, South Whitley, Miss Kuhn Lake, the daughter of Rick and Melissa Bollinger, sponsored by Pierceton Masonic Lodge 377, a freshman at Western Governors University.
• Second runner-up Jordyn Leininger, 20, Pierceton, Miss Beaver Dam Lake, daughter of Thad and Rochelle Leininger, sponsored by Slack Shots North Manchester, a junior at Butler University.
• First runner-up Zaylee Guy, 18, North Webster, Miss Webster Lake, daughter of Ben and Elise Guy, sponsored by North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce, a 2025 graduate of Wawasee High School.
Zaylee also received the 2025 North Webster Lady Lions Service Award of $100 cash. Selection was based on contestants’ community service information provided on their applications.
The Queen of the Lakes pageant is annually sponsored by the North Webster Lions Club and Shoop Sports & Youth Foundation Inc. Scholarships for the queen and her court are provided by Shoop Sports and Youth Foundation Inc. Judging is divided into interview, theme wear and formal gown. Four finalists are chosen princesses. The queen was chosen from the four finalists following the final question. Weldy will hold the title of Queen of Lakes for one year.
As Queen of Lakes, Weldy receives a $2,000 scholarship; first runner-up, Zaylee Guy, $1,500; second runner-up, Jordyn Leininger, $1,000; and the third runner-up, Chloe Bollinger, $500.
The 2025 Miss Congeniality, chosen by the contestants, is Anna Shock, 18, North Webster, Miss Shock Lake, the daughter of Kelly Shock and Mike Shock, sponsored by Tippecanoe Township Trustee Chris Francis. She receives a $100 scholarship.
Mermaid Festival Parade Queen’s Conveyance Parade Scholarship Awards also are provided by Shoop Sports and Youth Foundation Inc. Winners for their parade entrees were: third place, $250, Ava Weldy; second place, $500, Zaylee Guy; and first place, $750, Jaclynn Worrell, 19, Syracuse. Jaclynn, the daughter of Jason and Emily Worrell, competed as Miss Papakeechie Lake, is a freshman at Ball State University and was sponsored by Mike Kissinger Surveying.
The People’s Choice winner of the theme wear portion of the pageant was Gabryal Faurote, 17, Pierceton, who competed as Miss Winona Lake. A senior at Wawasee High School, she is the daughter of Rachel and Timothy and was sponsored by Lee Anne Stewart Dance School.
Corynn Barton, the 2021 Queen of the Lakes, served as the pageant emcee for the second consecutive year. After she announced the top four contestants as Bollinger, Guy, Leininger and Weldy, Barton asked each one the final question while the others waited their turn in the quiet room.
The theme of the North Webster Mermaid Festival and the pageant this year is “Circus Under the Big Top.” The question posed to each contestant was: If you were the ringmaster of the circus, what message would you want to send to the audience?
Bollinger replied, “If I were the ringmaster of the circus, I would want to send the message that individuality is power. You’re able to learn so much from being yourself and being around people and showing them who you are. The circus is all about individuality and uniqueness, and I think it’s an amazing thing that so many people can learn from.”
Guy’s response was, “If I was the ringmaster of a circus, the message that I would want to send to everyone would be that Jesus loves you and that you are created in the image of the Lord, and if you were struggling with something, rely on the Lord because he’s there for you no matter what.”
Leininger answered, “If I were ringmaster, the message I would want to send to my audience is to dream big. I think the circus is an amazing place for us to dream because of all the amazing talents there. Whether you’re an acrobat, whether you’re handing out popcorn, whether you’re a strong man, everything requires a lot of talent and a lot of kids look up to these artists because it is something that is really cool. And I think that we should inspire each other to dream big and reach for the stars because that’s what community is all about and that’s one of my favorite things about the circus.”
Finally, Weldy said, “I think I would want to send to the audience that no matter what age you - whether you were 80 or you were coming when you were 3 - that there can be magic and there can be goodness in the world, even in the roughest of times in our country and the world. There can always be something special, there can always be light.”
While scores were tabulated, 2024 Queen of the Lakes Madison Nunez gave her final walk and farewell address.
