Madelyn Gordner of Hughesville Crowned 2025 Flaming Foliage Festival Queen
By Kevin Rauch
RENOVO- It was a first ever trip to Renovo that she will likely never forget, as Madelyn Gordner Miss Hughesville High School was named the 76th Annual Flaming Foliage Festival Queen. It was just the third time that a representative from Hughesville received the honor and the first in over twenty years.
“Renovo is an amazing small town, it’s close knit and everyone seemed really close, you could tell that they all interacted together and enjoyed being together” said the newly crowned Queen minutes after Coronation.
Madelyn said her favorite part of the parade was actually seeing the excitement of the young children along the route. She is the daughter of Mathew and Rebekah Gordner of Hughesville and has two sisters.
“My favorite part of the parade was throwing candy,” laughed Gordner. “I liked seeing the kids yelling ‘throw candy over here, throw it over here’, it was really a lot of fun”.
Madelyn’s father Mathew hadn’t been to the area since his high school football days in the 90’s as he too was impressed with the community, but as he proudly watched his daughter get all of the post-weekend attention, it was obvious what will be the most memorable part of the weekend for him.
“She’s my blast, she’s the one that walks in and instantly lights up the room, every room that she enters” said Mathew of his daughter. When asked how he felt his Madelyn would do over the weekend he added “I felt she’d do really well”.
Prior to Madelyn being named FFF Queen, Olivia Lenze representing Saint Mary’s was named 1st Runner-Up, as Elena Hazelton who was Miss North-Penn-Mansfield was named 2nd Runner-Up. Local contestant Bucktail’s Eva Sockman received the C. Alex Rauch Memorial Award.
Also receiving awards were: Escort Dance-Off Winner, Mr. Jersey Shore- Tucker Janna; Miss Congeniality, Saint John Neumann- Breanna Nixon; Miss Photogenic, Miss Penns Valley Callie Riddle; Mr. Congeniality, Mr. Austin Cayden Trumpie.
Throughout last week as the town and Flaming Foliage Committee looked forward to and planned for the weekend, shifting weather patterns and changes to the forecast were closely being watched. In the end a harmless rain fell overnight Saturday, but did not affect the weekend’s events.
PARADE WINNERS:
•High School Bands: 1st Central Mountain; 2nd- Sugar Valley Rural Charter School; 3rd- Cameron County High School.
•Units: 1st- Fame Angels; 2nd- American Legion Remembrance Post 442; 3rd- 40&8 Locomotive.
•Floats: 1st Place- North Bend 4H Cloverbuds; 2nd- Shintown Rabbit Farmers; 3rd- Friends of the Renovo Library.
•Special vehicles: 1st- Coleman’s Red Truck; 2nd- Anthony Worrell.
•Fire Trucks: 1st Citizen’s Hose Company Station #28 South Renovo; 2nd- Renovo Fire Department; 3rd- Mill Hall Volunteer Fire Company.
