The Daily Standard
Story Archive
Mackenzie Harmer, 18, St. Henry, is crowned Miss Lake Festival 2026 by former Miss Lake Festival Maleah Lee, 21, at the Celina High School gym on Sunday.
CELINA- Even a little rain couldn't dampen the shine of the young local women that competed in this year's Miss Lake Festival Pageant.
Mackenzie Harmer, 18, St. Henry, was crowned Miss Lake Festival 2026 on Sunday night at the event's rain location of the Celina High School gymnasium.
Harmer is a freshman at Bowling Green State University where she is majoring in fashion merchandising and product development.
Her platform was "Fire Safety: Preparing for the Unexpected." When asked during her onstage interview what was one simple step she believed every family could take to better prepare in case of a fire, Harmer said, "I believe that the strongest step that you and your family can make to make your family a little bit more fire-safe would be to know the location of every fire extinguisher, not only in your home, but also in your workplace."
The recent high school graduate performed a contemporary dance to "Vienna" by Billy Joel for the talent portion. The performance symbolized the "bittersweet feeling of closing one chapter and the bright anticipation of what's to come next."
She is the daughter of Heidi and Frank Harmer and was sponsored by The Peoples Bank Co. In addition to the title, Harmer took home a $5,000 scholarship.
Claire Kuehne, 17, Celina, is crowned Miss Lake Festival's Teen 2026.
Taking home the Miss Lake Festival's Teen 2026 title was Celina senior Claire Kuehne, 17.
Her platform was "It Is Never Too Early; Mental Health Proactivity In Schools." During her onstage interview, when asked what changes she'd like to see in how school's respond to mental health issues, Kuehne said, "I think that schools can create a more welcoming environment. Students need to be able to talk about their situations when they feel uncomfortable and the only way they're going to be able to do that is if they feel comfortable in their school."
She played "Amazing Grace" on her grandfather's harmonica as her talent as a way to "encourage people to express themselves in anyway that they can." The performance culminated her main sources of strength: her family and faith.
She is the daughter of Jay and Andrea Kuehne. In addition to her title, Kuehne took home a $500 scholarship.
The Miss Lake Festival and Miss Lake Festival's Teen pageants are preliminary pageants where the winners earn a spot on the Miss Ohio and Miss Ohio's Teen stages and the opportunity to compete for the title of Miss America and Miss America's Teen.
Harmer and Kuehne are both moving on to compete for Miss Ohio and Miss Ohio's Teen in 2026. As well, they will reign over Lake Festival events this weekend.
Abigail Lipinski, 22, Waynesfield, talks about the importance of dental hygiene during the talent portion of the show.
Sunday night's contestants were required to select a personal platform issue, and the competition phases included a private interview, an onstage question, health and fitness modeling, a talent competition and an evening gown portion.
The contestants were scored individually and only competed against themselves, pageant emcee, and Miss Lake Festival 1993, Carrie Cubberley said.
"As a role model for women, Miss Lake Festival and Miss Lake Festival's Teen have to be well spoken," she said. "They have to be concerned with issues facing our nation."
Paige Kuehne, 20, Celina, twirls around during the evening gown portion of the pageant.
Taking home the Miss Congeniality awards and a $100 scholarship on Sunday night were Miss Lake Festival contestant Paige Kuehne and Miss Lake Festival's Teen 2026 Claire Kuehne.
The inaugural Allie Gray Be Real Not Perfect award and a $100 scholarship were given out to Miss Lake Festival's Teen contestant Brynly Huber.
The award is named for Allie Gray, a Celina native and recent high school graduate. In addition to being Miss Lake Festival's Teen 2024, Gray went on to become Miss Ohio's Teen 2024.
"She shows us that excellence comes from being real, not perfect," Cubberley said. "And her character inspires those around her, especially the younger generation. It is only fitting that this award be named for someone who embodies all of these qualities."
Many of the awards on Sunday night also came with flowers, a photoshoot, hair and makeup and a gown for the photoshoot. Additional awards were to be handed out at an after-party.
All non-finalists received a $400 scholarship, and each candidate also received $200 from their sponsors to cover the costs of the pageant or to be used as additional scholarship money.
Makenzie Regedanz, 26, Celina, accepts her award. Regedanz won fourth runner up and an $800 scholarship.
The fourth runner up for Miss Lake Festival 2026 and the recipient of a $800 scholarship was Makenzie Regedanz; the third runner up and $1,000 scholarship recipient was Paige Kuehne; the second runner up and the recipient of a $1,500 scholarship was Abigail Lipinski; and the first runner up and the recipient of a $2,000 scholarship was Caitlyn Nuding.
There were also 20 Little Miss Lake Festival participants that appeared in the opening number, modeled an outfit showcasing their character, answered an on-stage question, modeled an evening gown and received an official crown and sash.
Miss Ohio 2025 Olivia Fosson questions Avalyn Woods, 8, Celina, during the interview portion of the show.
Twenty Little Miss Lake Festival participants dance alongside pageant contestants.
