As a writer of legacy books, I have loved digging into archives to research stories from long ago. Recently, I flipped through old magazines and newspapers to find out more about the history of Kingsland’s AquaBoom festival. I also learned more about the separate AquaBoom Scholarship Trust, a 501 (C) (3) that awards 100 percent of its funds to the Miss AquaBoom winners, ages sixteen to nineteen. Although the lake town’s famous Fourth of July celebration began in 1969, the first scholarship was given in 1991 in the amount of $575 prize to Miss AquaBoom. Now, the reigning Queen will receive a $6,000 scholarship from the Trust funds.
Teresa Gray, Grissom Insurance, has served as the Trust’s chairperson since 2015. “Not only does the Queen receive a scholarship award, but the Princess will be awarded $3,000 and $1,000 goes to the Duchess for a total of $10,000 in scholarships,” said Gray. “The winners make a year-long commitment to serve their community and represent Kingsland at numerous events. They work hard as titleholders and at the end of the year, they receive their scholarship money.”
Gray was also Aqua-Boom Pageant director from 2009 to 2018, and she is still in touch with the Queens who received scholarships. They all went on to pursue their college goals and lead successful lives after graduation. In a letter to Gray, Sheyenne Knox, Miss AquaBoom 2014 shared that her scholarship “gave me options with schooling and allowed me to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse.”
The scholarship helped extend the dreams of other recipients of the past. Krissi Riewe, Miss AquaBoom 2001, shared, “I earned my BFA in Fashion Design and later, returned to college to earn an MFA and become a college professor. The experience blessed me not only with the scholarship, but also confidence to lead, speak and represent myself with poise.”
When she took over as pageant chair, Gray noted the challenge to become Miss AquaBoom expanded. “In addition to the talent portion, contestants had to write an essay and do an interview,” she said.
Lauren Allen Michael is now director of the AquaBoom Pageant and brings intimate knowledge of the process as she once participated in the pageant in 2003. Although she did not win the Miss AquaBoom title, she appreciated that high school experience for what it delivered.
“Back then, the pageant was big with ten to fifteen of us competing in the one category. It was fun and the girls got to know others from the Burnet and Llano County areas. It was cool to see the friendships remain as the contestants grew up,” said Allen Michael.
She has been bringing over a decade of experience in pageantry administration, mentorship, and community- focused event coordination. passionate about empowering young women through confi dence-building, leadership development, and community involvement.
“I have watched girls sign up and talk about how they will freeze up during the pageant interviews. Then, go on to overcome those fears and grow in confidence," she said. “I am honored to help shape the future leaders of tomorrow, one sash at a time.”
To donate to the Aqua-Boom Trust Scholarship nonprofit, contact Teresa Gray at teresa@grissominsurance. com or mail a check to PO Box 1973, Kingsland, 78639.
To learn more about the pageant and enter as a contestant in one of the seven age categories, register at https://www. kingslandaquaboom.org/ pageant no later than Thursday, May 14. The pageant will be held on Saturday, June 13, at the Kingsland Community Center.
