The streets of Renovo were lined with hundreds October 15 for the annual Flaming Foliage Festival, and senior Cecilia Mazzocco was there to see it all. 

As the 2022-2023 Miss Bellefonte, Cecilia had a front row seat. She was a nominee for the Festival’s Queen pageant, an annual competition between dozens of area schools that awards titles based on poise, communication, and character.

  Cecilia was quite nervous about the event, since she had never participated in a pageant before, particularly one of the Festival’s scale.

“I had never done anything like pageantry so I was curious what it was like,” she said. “I have strong opinions on politics and social issues, so leading up to the event I was most worried about representing Bellefonte well while staying true to my own values.”

Still, Cecilia says she enjoyed herself, even if the experience and place was a new one.

“I really enjoyed meeting and conversing with a bunch of new people, as well as exploring a new place,” she said. 

Throughout the day, Cecilia got to know her fellow competitors quite well during their Queen activities, which included a parade, interviews with judges, and ultimately the Queen’s coronation. The Festival crowned Bucktail High School nominee Isabella English as its 2022 Miss Flaming Foliage, who Cecilia says wholeheartedly deserved the win.

“I had spent all day mainly with the queen [nominees] from Bald Eagle and Bucktail, so getting close with the person who won was really cool,” she said. “The festival was in [Isabella’s] hometown, and the whole day it was very apparent how much she loved her community. She very much deserved the title of Miss Flaming Foliage.”

The festival wrapped the following day with a craft fair, and will be held again next year on the weekend of October 14.