Zwolle High School Senior and the current 46th Annual Miss Zwolle Tamale Fiesta Queen, Kaydee Meshell, will join twenty-two others aboard the Louisiana Feed Your Soul Float in the 2023 Rose Bowl Parade on Monday, January 2nd.
The 134th Rose Parade presented by Honda is part of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses in California and features magnificently floral-adorned floats, equestrian units and marching bands. The theme for 2023 is “Turning the Corner”.
As the parish’s largest festival, on the second weekend of October, local and out-of-state visitors travel to sample delicious tamales, participate in 5K run and mud bog contests, enjoy the magnificent parade, listen to live entertainment, browse the arts and crafts and go on amusement rides. Meshell, who was crowned on August 27th, proudly promotes the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta throughout the State of Louisiana. Since, she has traveled 1500 miles and attended 30 events across the parish and state, alongside her King, First Lady and Royal Court.
When Kaydee is not traveling, you can find her on the sidelines cheering for the Zwolle High Basketball Teams. She is also an academic honor roll student who serves in many clubs in her school; such as, National Beta Club, FFA Secretary, Senior Class Treasurer, Yearbook Staff Editor, Explorers Club and Student Council. As a member of Noble Baptist church, she is actively involved with her youth group, Operation Christmas Child and volunteers as a Vacation Bible School teacher each summer. Upon graduation, she plans to attended Northwestern State University to major in Business Administration with a a minor in Marketing. Meshell has proudly held festival titles in Bienville, Natchitoches and Sabine Parishes during her time in pageantry.
“When Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser personally informed me that my festival had been selected for the Rose Parade, I could not believe it. The tears flowed and I was overwhelmed with pride for my hometown and for what this opportunity would do for Louisiana Tourism. It is an absolute honor to represent the Spanish and Indian heritage of our community, the hardworking people of our parish and the passion our state has for the culture we proudly possess. Sabine Parish and the State of Louisiana have some of the hardest working festival queens I know, who travel and spend a lot of time promoting our festivals. I am truly honored to be amongst such a group of empowering ladies. Once the crown is placed, you are contracted to 365 days of promotion, modesty, and known as the public face of your festival. We take such pride in our time as a festival queen and I am very proud of us getting the opportunity to be in the Rose Parade. I will never forget this experience and I would like to thank my Tamale Fiesta Board, Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, Louisiana Office of Tourism, my family and my amazing community for supporting my journey.”, Meshell states.
The 2023 Rose Parade will be broadcasted at 8 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (10 a.m. Central Standard Time) on ABC and NBC networks. Viewers are asked to check their area’s listings for more information. Tune in to witness the beautiful LOUISIANA Feed Your Soul Float!