Kaitlin Hughes was crowned Queen of the Osgood Sesquicentennial on Friday at the Jac-Cen-Del High School. The pageant got off to a “hot” start when members of the Osgood Volunteer Fire Department danced to the song “Fire” by the Ohio Players onto the stage to escort the ten candidates who modeled their favorite sportswear. Lila Neal, president of the Osgood Kiwanis who sponsored the contest, emceed the program and introduced all of the candidates.

Each of the contestants then gave a two-minute presentation portraying a past or present citizen of Osgood. Second runner-up, Kayla Bradley, daughter of Robbie Bradley and Robin Mulroy, portrayed runner, Cecil Franke. Courtney Volmer, first runner-up, daughter of John and Pam Vollmer, gave her presentation on Golda Reynolds, co-founder of the Reynolds Foundation. Queen Kaitlin Hughes portrayed Mary Hazel Freeman who was a past opera star from Osgood. At the end of her presentation, she performed a few choruses of “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.”

The ten contestants then appeared on stage in formal wear and each answered a question given by Jerry Vollmer, president of the Osgood Sesquicentennial Committee. While the judges contemplated their decision, Vollmer introduced the 1956 Osgood Centennial Queen Janice Euilitt McMahan, who spoke to the crowd about her experience as queen. She told the crowd that in 1956 she received an engraved identification bracelet, which she was wearing. She went on to say that she didn’t take part in a pageant nor did she receive a crown. Neal then surprised McMahan with a beautiful crown and sash.

The moment the crowd was waiting for came when Neal announced the second and first runners-up followed by the crowning of the 2006 Osgood Sesquicentennial Queen Kaitlin Hughes by the Centennial Queen. Hughes is the daughter of Tom and Donna Hughes, Osgood, and is a senior at Jac-Cen-Del High School.

LINDA CHANDLER PHOTO Queen of the Osgood Sesquicentennial, Kaitlin Hughes, center, is pictured with her court and pageant contestants, from left, Alicia Volz, Kelley Wagner, Ashley Carpenter, second runner-up Kayla Bradley, Queen, Kaitlin Hughes, first runner-up, Courtney Vollmer, Talena Huff, Abby Rohlfing, Megan Jones and Kalenia Simon.