Jordan Rex named Queen Jubilee XXXVIII

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Jordan Rex was excited to be named the talent winner during Friday night’s Peony Festival Pageant at the Marsh Foundation Auditorium. That didn’t compare, though, to having the crown of Queen Jubilee XXXVIII placed on her head a moment later by 2012 queen Alex Burchfield.

“I’m just very honored,” Rex, the daughter of Jeff and April Rex of Spencerville, said following the pageant. “I more just came out to do this as an experience … all I was looking for was the opportunity to meet some nice people. Overall I was so nervous, so it was really cool to have such a great reward for all the hard work you’ve put in this week.”

For the Spencerville High School senior, winning Friday’s pageant wasn’t a walk in the park, but getting up on stage was, surprisingly, easier than she thought it would be.

“I am so surprised by myself because I thought I was going to be so nervous coming out here, shaking so bad that somebody would be thinking: ‘What is she doing? Having a seizure?’,” Rex said of her thoughts prior to the pageant.

“The hardest thing was getting up there the very first time; I have danced for a while, and cheered, always in front of crowds, but this is a completely new scene,” the new Queen Jubilee added. “So I think coming up here, starting with the opening number and the dance, was the hardest and then it just got easier from there.”

Being crowned Peony Festival queen is just the latest in a long line of achievements for Rex, who is Student Council president, treasurer of the National Honor Society and senior class secretary at Spencerville.

In typically humble fashion, though, she had nothing but great things to say about her fellow competitors. “They are all amazing,” Rex said. “We knew all along that it was going to be tight because they always told us that it was a great group of girls, maybe the best one they’ve seen.”

First Runner-up was Corinne Metzger, daughter of Teresa Metzger and Dale and Betty Metzger and a senior at Delphos Jefferson High School, while Second Runner-up Savannah Roughton of Paulding High School also was named “Miss Congeniality” for the pageant. She is the daughter of Eric and Shelly Roughton of Paulding.

The other Peony queen contestants included Kate Bauer of Crestview High School, the daughter of John and Chris Bauer; Courtney Gorman of Lincolnview High School, daughter of Shawn and Michelle Gorman; Karissa Place of Van Wert High School, the daughter of Robert and Shelly Place; Alexis Ford of Parkway High School, daughter of Annie Ford and the late Matt Ford; and Chelsea Critchfield of Wayne Trace High School, the daughter of Rick and Angie Critchfield.

Judges for the event were Diana Varno, Lesa Wende, Randy Clark, and Rick Turner, while preliminary judges included Kevin Taylor, Kay Okuley and Ray Etzler. Ed Gebert was master of ceremonies for the pageant, while CPA Rick Sealscott completed his 17th year as pageant auditor.

Burchfield, who ended her reign as Queen Jubilee XXXVII on Friday, also sang “Part of Your World” from the movie, The Little Mermaid.

As usual, the “Little Flower Girls” did their best to upstage their older “sisters,” and pretty much did. They included Katie Sawmiller, daughter of Jake and Ali Sawmiller; Reese Frobase, daughter of Brent Frobase and Nicole Siegenthaler; Hannah Wiltsie, daughter of Scott and Andrea Wiltsie; Americus Ford, daughter of Dusty and Jamie Ford; Emma Elkins, daughter of Adam and Mindy Elkins; Karmyn Jimson, daughter of Matt and Kristin Jamison; Meg Thompson, daughter of Mike and Julia Thompson; and Alexis Wenninger, daughter of Seth and Casey Wenninger.

Kaylee Mollenkopf, daughter of J.R. and Becky Mollenkopf, was the crown bearer for this year’s pageant, while Brent Gibson of Gibby’s Photography/Shutterbugg Photography, was pageant photographer (click here for a complete list of pageant sponsors).

Escorts for the pageant included Hunter Munroe, son of Steve and Susan Munroe; Evan Williams, son of Rick and Carol Williams; and Adam Schumm, son of Mike and Robin Schumm.