Travis named Peach Queen

See also:
Thousands enjoy 49th annual Lewiston Kiwanis Peach Festival
Peach Festival Slide Show

by Larry Austin
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, September 16, 2006

Make it three years in a row for a Niagara-Wheatfield girl winning the Peach Queen crown.

Corey Travis, 19, won the crown Sunday night at Academy Park in Lewiston at the conclusion of the 49th annual Peach Festival.

Travis is a resident of the town of Wheatfield and attends Fredonia State College, where she is a sophomore. She graduated from Niagara-Wheatfield High School in 2005 along with ’04-’05 Peach Queen Carley Guariglia and a year behind Diana Virtuoso, who placed the crown on her head as outgoing Peach Queen.

Travis said Guariglia encouraged her to enter the pageant.

Great Experience

“It feels really great. I’m really excited, but it was a great experience regardless of winning or losing,” Travis said moments after the pageant ended.

The runner-up was Charmese O’Callaghan of Niagara Falls. O’Callaghan is a senior at Niagara Falls High School. Second runner-up was Jaclyn Palmer of the Town of Niagara, a senior at Niagara-Wheatfield. Third runner-up was Joelle Warchocki of Wheatfield, a student at Niagara University and a 2004 graduate of Niagara-Wheatfield High School. Melissa Kusmierz of Lewiston, a senior at Lewiston-Porter, was the fourth runner up.

Travis also won the “Tara Laurie Memorial Miss Congeniality Award,” as voted on by the 15 contestants in the pageant.

“I was just blown away,” Travis said of winning Miss Congeniality. “That was, I think, maybe more exciting than actually winning the crown. It means a lot to me that all these girls think so highly of me.”

Travis, the daughter of Charles and Kathryn Travis of Wheatfield, is 5 foot, 3 inches tall with brown hair and blue eyes. She’ll now spend 2006-07 representing the Lewiston Kiwanis Club at their various charitable endeavors.

“I want to be as involved as I can in the community and help out the Kiwanians as much as I can,” Travis said.

Earlier in the festival, Ben Graham II, age 4, of Niagara Falls, was named Peach Fuzz and Chloe Lynn Noah, 4 1/2, of Lewiston, was named Peach Blossom. Graham is the son of Ben and Alyson Graham, while Noah is the daughter of Teri Ashker and Joseph Noah.