STOCKTON — Brooklynn Cockriel of Ripon was named Miss California Garlic Festival during the two-day event conducted at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds.

Mallory Myers of Manteca was named Teen Miss California Garlic while Kayla Schmidig of Lodi was named Ms. California Garlic Festival.

 The three served as the official hostesses of the festival both days.

They spent time in the blazing heat cheerfully greeting festival-goers, thanking vendors, congratulating the winners of the car show and photography contests and enjoying the delicious flavors of the more than 40 different garlic-themed food offerings including bacon garlic fries, garlic pesto pasta, garlic and mushroom bread bowl, garlic-maple ice cream, garlic lemonade and even garlic-dill pickle shave ice.

The first annual Miss California Garlic Festival Scholarship Pageant was an overwhelming success. The program included two live shows over the course of the two-day festival that featured 29 women and girls of all ages in a musical celebration of their service and dedication to the greater Central Valley community.

Their duties also included assisting with the coronation of the first “crop” of California Garlic Festival Princesses that featured 15 young girls ages 12 and under each receiving their very own princess sash and tiara with the youngest participant, MJ Coloma of American Canyon, being just six-months old.

The princesses received a full royal experience with a special VIP play time with new queens Myers, Cockriel and Schmidig, as well as visiting queens from the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival, Manteca Pumpkin Fair and even Miss Manteca Molly Dua followed by a Princess Parade across the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds.

The queen and princess “Denim & Rhinestones” shows drew the largest crowds of the weekend. It included the AMVETS Post #1947 All Women’s Color Guard of Stockton and special guest performances by Dua, Arveen Birdi,  Miss Asparagus Festival; Dana Harrison, Miss Golden Valley; and Alani Mullenix,  Miss Teen Manteca.

Queen candidates competed in Fun Fashion, Formal Wear and On-Stage Interview while the princesses participated in a non-competitive show that included Fashion Runway and On-Stage Question.

 The show also featured 34 visiting queens and ambassadors from other pageant programs including Miss America Organization, Manteca Youth Focus, Pure International Pageants, Miss Ag America Pageant and the Miss United States Agriculture Pageant.

Additional awards handed out during the queen pageant include a $750 cash scholarship for Cockriel as winner of the Miss division and $250 for her first runner-up.

Alyssa Dominquez of Manteca. The first runners of the Teen and Ms. divisions were Kailynn Johnson of Linden and Erin Hagerty of Concord, respectively.

 Congeniality winners Johnson, Tenaya Spikes of Tracy and Hagerty were chosen by the contestants.

The Spirit Award winner, Maya Sprenkel of east Stockton, was chosen by the pageant and festival staff for her outstanding representation of the pageant values of Integrity, Respect and Kindness. Special awards in fun fashion went to Johnson, Dominguez, Cockriel and Hagerty.

 Photogenic awards winners included Sophie Cockriel of Ripon along with Dominguez and Schmidig.

Other pageant contestants included Sophie Cockriel, & Madison Lopez of Ripon, Saige Carstersen, Elizabeth Neuner & Autumn Nava of Manteca, and Lilyana McCurdy of Rio Linda.

The first “crop” of California Garlic Festival Princesses included Lola Arzate of Los Banos, Cadence Keleher of French Camp, Bella Archuleta-Nunez of Sacramento, Layla Rose Castillo of Patterson, Riley Reece, Daphne Pfeifle &; Jordynn Hill of Stockton, Neveah Samaniego; Izabella Neuner of Manteca, Liyah Langford of Escalon, Alina Mullenix of River Islands in Lathrop, Avyanna Ferrell of Modesto, Penelope Roberts of Tracy and Peyton Hagerty of Concord.

Noceti Group, Inc. the family-owned motorsports and events business, known for their signature monster truck and racing events, own and operate the California Garlic Festival as well as the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival, The New Stockton 99 Speedway, Stockton Dirt Track and Little 99 Kart & Moto Track.

Plans for 2023 include similar age divisions and princess programs at both festivals.

Interested girls and parents can sign-up for the first to receive notification when each festivals’ pageant and princess applications open for 2023 by contacting Lacy at 209-518-3915 or email ShimLacy@gmail.com