Byram's royal court crowned for 2012

By Amy Stewart BYRAM — Seven-year-old Page McVeigh said she wasn’t worried about her royal responsibilities after being named Bryam’s Little Princess - until she remembered about her tiara. “Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed. "I will have to keep my tiara nice all the way until next Memorial Day." McVeigh won the title at Thursday’s Byram Royalty event held at the Adam Todd Restaurant. The contest consists of naming a Little Prince and Princess for ages 4-7, a Junior Miss Byram for young ladies ages 13-16, a Mr. Byram for young men ages 17-21 and Miss Byram for young women ages 17-21. There were no entries for the Little Prince contest and only one gentleman entered the Mr. Byram contest. Each candidate must live in Byram and the winners must be available for contests at the county fair in August. Each contestant was introduced and asked predetermined questions as well as one random question. The judges were Dan Lieneck, Maren Haefelein and Pat Dockery. Sponsors of the event were the Adam Todd, Frogmore Country Elegance, Frank’s Tratorria, McDonald's, RDA Fitness, Hair Loom, Your Salon, Ace Nails and Cones by Design. Lorna Pappas Dockery hosted the Little Princess contest, which had seven contestants; Emily Phelps, Nicole Miller, Megha Amin, Paige McVeigh, Cameron Ecke, Giavanna D’Amico and Alexa Catherine Belcaro. Dogs and horses were by far the most identified as favorite animals. McVeigh’s favorite animal, which differed from the crowd's, was the fox. The Junior Miss, Mr. Byram and Miss Byram contest was hosted by 2011 Miss Byram, Allyson Salmon. Three contestants entered the Junior Miss contest; Grace Muriel Mueller, Ashley May and Alyssa Falleni, all of who attend Lenape Valley High School. These contestants were asked what community service program they would like to see in their school and how would they volunteer. Falleni, who won the contest, said she would like to see the Bridge Run in her school, a program she became familiar with through her church that prepares meals and delivers them to the homeless who live under bridges. Falleni said she has seen the program in action and is excited about being part of it this summer. Zachary LeFurge was the only contestant for Mr. Byram. LeFurge is a graduate of the Lenape Valley High School and will be attending Kutztown University in the fall with a goal of becoming a professional musician. When asked what he thought was the biggest challenge facing Byram, his answer was the Route 206 construction, saying, “The Netcong construction is nearly complete and this has been going on for so much longer.” Angelica Sabatini, Rachel Schilling, Maggie Reilly, Maria Isherwood and Tabitha Healy were the Miss Byram contestants. Salmon asked the contestants what makes them a good candidate for Miss Byram and what they think is Byram’s biggest challenge. Schilling won the contest, saying that she thought she would be a good candidate because the Byram community, including her school, Girl Scouting and other activities, has made her into the person she is today. She highlighted community pride and unity as factors that would see Byram through any problem it may have. Her individual question was about living in a multi-cultural community, to which she responded, “I love being in a multi-cultural society. The more we learn about each other, the less clashing that happens.” She also admitted to “loving” the opportunity to attend a regional high school where she got to meet students from Netcong and Stanhope, and having the opportunity to spend three weeks in Germany to learn about that culture. Schilling is entering Dickinson College in the fall as a freshman and hopes to become an editor at an international publishing company. Schilling and LaFurge have been best friends since kindergarten, so knowing that LaFurge will be by her side made Schilling’s win extra special. Schilling was shaking with excitement and was “overwhelmed” at winning. LaFurge said it was “awesome to participate” and that he thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Falleni was thrilled, adding, “I get to the keep the tiara? Cool!” McVeigh said “this was so much fun. I can’t wait to be in a parade.” Bouquets were presented and tiaras and crowns were donned as the event wrapped up. Information for next year's Byram Royalty Contest will be posted at a later date on the township’s website, www.byramtwp.org. To see more photos from this event, visit TownshipJournal.com.