4 contestants want the crown

MILAN — The seeds are planted for a highly contested queen's contest at this year's Milan Melon Fest. This year's royalty pageant features four candidates. People can view the competition at 7 p.m. on Saturday from the main stage in Village Square. If it's raining, the event will occur within Milan Township Hall. The festival committee provided biographies on all four ladies and many royalty-related reasons about why each deserves the crown: Katie Cumston Katie is a junior at Edison High School. She is the daughter of Greg and Jill Cumston. She has three brothers: Bobby, Ben and Jeremiah. Katie also has an Australian shepherd puppy that is her baby, named Reggie. Katie loves taking Reggie on walks. Katie Cumston Academics are very important to Katie. She is an honors student taking college-level classes. In addition, Katie is involved in many clubs and sports such as varsity cheer, varsity track, Teen Leadership Corps, Interact Club and Key Club. Being involved in community service and organizations is a passion for Katie. When she is not busy with school, her family or Reggie, you can find her scooping ice cream at the Village Drive-Thru. After graduation, Katie plans to pursue a career in helping people as a first responder. Katie is sponsored by the Village Drive-Thru. Charlotte Gall Charlotte is a senior at Edison High School. She is the daughter of Michael and Erin Gall. Charlotte has an older sister, Evelyn, and a younger sister, Rose. Charlotte Gall At Edison, Charlotte is her class treasurer and is a member of the Interact Club, Key Club, Spanish Club, the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society. In her spare time, Charlotte raises goats, lambs and rabbits on her family's hobby farm. She also enjoys spending time with friends and family and creating artworks of all varieties. Charlotte has been involved in 4-H for 12 years and serves as a secretary of her 4-H club. She has also been on her 4-H club's T-shirt design committee for many years where she gets to use her creative side to come up with new designs for her club's T-shirts each year. She has shown goats, rabbits and lambs at the Erie County Fair in addition to doing still projects related to art and cake decorating. Charlotte has also been a youth counselor at Eric County 4-H camp at Kelleys Island for the last three summers. After graduation, Charlotte intends to go to college at the University of Pittsburgh and major in art. She also plans to be a part of the Disney College Program and eventually work in children's activities at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Charlotte is sponsored by the Milan Wine Post. Ilah Reynolds Ilah is a junior at Edison High School She is the daughter of Greg and Sarah Reynolds. Ilah Reynolds At Edison, she participates in many extracurricular activities involving competing in state-level tournaments, community service and letting her creativity flow. Some of these activities include speech and debate, drama, soccer, Firelands Challenge, competitive writing, show choir and many more. Ilah has also been an active member of the Girl Scouts since first grade. In Girl Scouts, Ilah has received her Silver Award and is in the works to receive her Gold Award. She thanked her parents for always being there to support her and cultivate her growth into the person that she is today. She would also like to thank her grandmother, Marla Lowery, who was so encouraging and helpful throughout this process by helping find and mending dresses as well as being there morally to cheer her on. There have been many other great inspirational people in Ilah's life who have led her on the path she is on today, such as wonderful teachers and understanding friends who have made her future look bright and full of happiness. She expresses an indescribable amount of appreciation to all those in her life who have made a difference to Ilah. These people have been 'one in a melon' when it comes to helping her out. Soon Ilah plans to spread a love of art to everyone around the world as she aspires to double major in French and fine arts when she leaves for college. It is very important to Ilah that people have art, creativity and color in their lives, especially when things seem dark, drab and melancholy. This contest is an incredible opportunity for her to spread her voice and showcase the kind of person she is. It will help her to grow into who she would like to become to achieve all her goals. Ilah hopes everyone has a 'rind-tastic' time at the Milan Melon Festival. Ilah is sponsored by Baker on the Square. Raylan Rule Raylan is a senior at EHOVE Career Center where she focuses on the medical careers program. She is the daughter of Jeff and Crystal Rule. Raylan Rule Raylan has a Jack Russel mix named Lucy and a dachshund named Oscar-Myer. She also has "Bun-Bun", her German blue Vienna rabbit. She is a state-tested nurse aide. She is certified in first aid, CPR and more. Raylan currently works at Gaymont Nursing Home where she helps care for and rehabilitate the elderly population. Raylan previously worked at Vargos Drive-In in Norwalk for three years. She is active in her school. She is a member of Teen Leadership Corps where she is the Tik Tok VIP. She is also involved in Drug-Free Leaders and EHOVE's Future Leaders. Raylan is a broadcaster for the EHOVE morning news. Raylan is active in Skills USA and is a voting delegate for the organization. She completed her 10-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration certification. Raylan has earned her varsity academic Letter along with her Science Ohio Readiness Seal. She is an honor roll student. Raylan participated in the Edison band for seven years. She was in pep band, band council, stage band, concert band, and marching band. After graduation, Raylan plans to continue her career in health care. Raylan is sponsored by D'Vine Design.