It’s just so overwhelming. I can’t believe I’m representing Bristol. This is my home, this is my town, and it’s amazing.”

Gwenyth Tucker

The Fourth of July festivities are well underway, with family and friends filling the Mt. Hope High School auditorium on Saturday night for the coronation of Miss Fourth of July and Little Miss Fourth of July. Thirteen girls between the ages of 16 and 20, and 15 girls between the ages 7 and 9 vied for the opportunity to represent Bristol in the pageant and appear at a wide range of events and programming leading up to Parade Day.

Mt. Hope junior Gwenyth Tucker was crowned this year’s Miss Fourth of July, with Alana Crowell crowned Little Miss Fourth of July 2022. 

“I’m feeling very happy,” said Crowell, while donning her glitzy American flag tiara. “This means so much to me. My favorite part about the Fourth of July is doing the dance, and now winning.”

With the crowning of a new Miss Fourth, the time had come for Miss Fourth of July 2021 Victoria Travassos to relinquish her crown, a bittersweet moment for her to take the stage one last time and bid farewell to her role this past year.

“I am just so happy with the outcome, and honestly, I feel like everything is coming full circle,” Travassos said. “I’m probably just as happy as I was last year when I won, because these girls are so deserving. I’m so proud of them. Everything happened the way that I think it was supposed to, and you really can’t ask for more than that.”

Little Miss Fourth of July 2021, Eden Sweeney, had the extra special opportunity to crown this year’s winner – her older sister, Gwenyth Tucker.

“I’m just overwhelmed with joy,” said Tucker. “To have my sister pass the crown to me was so emotional. I was about ready to cry. I just have so many family members here, it’s so overwhelming, but it’s so exciting.”

In addition to her sister, Gwenyth had two of her cousins competing in the pageant. Sophie Tucker, a third-grader at Colt Andrews Elementary School, and last year’s Little Miss first runner-up Hope Tucker, a fourth-grader at Colt Andrews, were both on stage alongside her.

Gwenyth said she has been preparing for this moment since she was five years old.

“I used to watch the parade and just look at the pageant girls in awe. To me, they were like celebrities at every moment in time,” said Tucker.  “As a little girl, I just wanted to hug them and squeeze them. And for me to now be that girl, is unbelievable for me.” 

The panel crowns its Court

Mt. Hope sophomore Beilah Teixeira, 16, was named fourth runner-up, while 16-year-old Mt. Hope junior Casey Little came in as third runner-up.

Samantha Martins, 19, was selected as second runner-up. A 2020 graduate of Mt. Hope High School, she just completed her sophomore year at Rhode Island College, where she majors in education. Martins is no stranger to the pageant spotlight, being crowned Little Miss Fourth of July in 2012, and earning a spot as second runner-up in last year’s 2021 Miss Fourth pageant.

Eleni Gatos, a 17-year-old Mt. Hope junior, was named to the court as first runner-up. Gatos was also awarded Miss Congeniality by her peers.

For the Little Miss category, Tessa Correia, a third-grader at Guiteras Elementary School, finished as second runner-up, and Charlotte Loftus, a third-grader at Rockwell Elementary School, was awarded first runner-up. Both will get to celebrate on the Miss Fourth float in the annual parade. 

The ceremony and featured guests

Mary Lou Palumbo served as the Mistress of Ceremonies, while the board of judges consisted of Carolyne Marcello, Marilyn Shannon McConaghy, Neena Sinha Savage, Mark Harriman, and tabulator Frank Fales.

Palumbo introduced Pageant Committee Chairman Patty Squatrito, who expressed her enthusiasm and confidence she had in the young ladies who competed. “No matter what, these girls are all winners,” she said.

After each participant had the chance to model their patriotic evening gown attire and answer hand-selected questions, the judges went off to deliberate as the audience was entertained by contemporary dancers from Rosemary’s School of Dance and members of the Mt. Hope High School Vocal Ensemble.

Palumbo introduced Joe and Rosa DaPonte, the chief marshals for the 237th parade. The DaPontes are Portuguese immigrants who have immersed themselves into the local community and have personally impacted their neighbors and fellow Bristolians. They were granted United States citizenship in 2011, and are proud to represent what the American dream is all about.

The crowd was also proudly introduced to Fourth of July Committee General Chairman Chuck MacDonough, who spoke to the sentimental value the pageant holds for him and his family. His daughter Kaitlyn, now 34, was crowned Miss Fourth in 2008 after being selected as the first-runner up in 2007. 

Taking it all in

After being surrounded by her loved ones, the newly crowned Miss Fourth was nearly speechless. When the flashes of the photographers died down, she finally had a chance to catch her breath in a surreal moment that she says she will never forget.

“To be Miss Fourth of July means everything to me, because not only am I representing Bristol, but I’m representing America right now,” said Tucker. “It’s a huge title to have, and it’s just so overwhelming, but I can’t believe I’m representing Bristol. This is my home, this is my town, and it’s amazing.”