St. John Sugar Queen Pageant celebrates 75 years of tradition
Published 12:03 pm Tuesday, August 4, 2026
The St. John Sugar Queen Pageant celebrated its 75th anniversary Saturday, bringing together former queens and community members for an evening honoring one of the parish’s longest-running traditions.
With the theme “A Journey Through the Decades… Celebrating 75 Years of Sweet Memories,” this year’s pageant welcomed former St. John Sugar Queens from as far away as Virginia, Connecticut, North Carolina and Texas back to the St. John Theatre in Reserve to celebrate the milestone anniversary.
At the conclusion of the evening, Mia Nicole Saijas was crowned St. John Sugar Queen LXXV, while Katelyn Nicole Ory earned the title of Teen St. John Sugar Queen VII.
In addition to being crowned queen, Saijas received the Fashion Award. Marissa Munoz was named first runner-up and received the Photogenic Award, while Shayla Touchton was named second runner-up and received the Congeniality Award. Gracey Maria Frank earned the People’s Choice Award and was named an alternate runner-up, while Yellena Rodriguez was also selected as an alternate runner-up.
Ory also earned the Congeniality and Fashion awards in the Teen Division. Kara Coburn was named first runner-up and received the Photogenic and People’s Choice awards. Kayla Rummel was named second runner-up, while Kiya Gautreau and Angelina Ordonez were selected as alternate runners-up.
For 75 years, the St. John Sugar Queen Pageant has celebrated the parish’s sugar cane heritage while providing young women the opportunity to serve as ambassadors for the community. Held annually at the historic St. John Theatre in Reserve, the pageant remains one of the parish’s cherished summer traditions.
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