2022 Queen Mallard and Junior Queen Mallard to Kick off Wings Over the Prairie Festival

In 1956, Pat Peacock was crowned the first Queen Mallard as part of the World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest & Wings Over the Prairie Festival. Now, 66 years later, contestants are preparing to take the stage and compete for the title of Queen Mallard. The Junior Queen Mallard followed along in 1991 and both pageants allow the contestants to shine on stage and wow the crowd.

The 2022 pageants will be held on November 19, 2022, at the Grand Prairie Center beginning at 7:00 p.m. The Queen Mallard pageant is open to contestants between the ages of 16 and 21 and the Junior Queen Mallard pageant is open to contestants between the ages of 12 and 15. Contestants must reside in the Grand Prairie Area (Arkansas, Lonoke, Monroe, Prairie, Grant and Jefferson counties).

Judges for the pageant are Jane Slocum, Nicole Harris Zimmerman, and David Slocum.

Jane Slocum is a retired teacher who taught for more than 30 years. She has been married for 50 years to David Slocum and they reside in Rogers, AR. She is a member of the First Christian Church in Rogers. As a member of Stitched With Love, she has quilted more than 200 quilts for Arkansas Children’s Hospital patients. Slocum’s daughter, Laura Slocum Hold, was the 1993 Queen Mallard.

Mrs. Slocum has been involved with the Miss Arkansas and Miss Arkansas’ Outstanding Teen Pageants for nearly 30 years. She says her claim to fame is her daughter, Sarah Slocum Collins, who was Miss Arkansas 2009 and was named to the Top Fifteen in Miss America 2010.

Nicole Harris Zimmerman was born and raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas. She was Queen Mallard XXXII and her mother, Kalynn Wilson Harris, was Queen Mallard II. They were the first mother and daughter to share the crown.

After graduating from Stuttgart High School in 1988, Nicole attended the University of Arkansas and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism.

She currently resides in Little Rock and has a career in marketing and business development with Pain Treatment Centers of America. She has two children, Sarah Katherine and Jack. In her free time, she enjoys reading, creative writing, traveling, and spending quality time with her family and friends.

David Slocum is a retired educator who worked for more than 30 years in sales at his company David Slocum, Inc.  He and his wife Jane have three daughters: Laura Slocum Holt, who resides in Katy, TX; Dr. Megan Slocum Duncan, deputy superintendent of the Fayetteville, Arkansas School system, and Sarah Slocum Collins, chief-of-staff for U.S. Representative Bruce Westerman in Washington, DC.  They also have seven grandchildren.

David is an Elder at First Christian Church in Rogers, Arkansas. As a member of the Dirty 20 Fishing Club, he bass fishes nearly every day at Beaver Lake. By having three daughters, he has attended many pageants and says he has witnessed most everything that can happen on the pageant stage.

Donna Kimes has been named Master of Ceremonies for the 2022 pageant.

Donna Kimes is a broadcaster, a journalist, and a marketing professional in Stuttgart, AR. Currently, she is the Local Team Manager for EAB Media, Stuttgart, having recently retired from a 30-plus-year career in bank marketing. Donna moved to Stuttgart from Jonesboro, AR, where she worked as a news director, news anchor, and reporter for the local ABC affiliate.

Upon moving to Stuttgart, she quickly became involved in community activities including serving on the board of the Grand Prairie War Memorial Auditorium, the Chamber of Commerce board, serving as president, of Baptist Hospital fund-raising initiatives, Wings Over The Prairie Festival Committee and emcee of World Championship Duck Gumbo Contest for more than a decade. She and her husband Steve helped secure the funding and the design for the permanent Main Street Stage next to the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce.

She enjoyed many years of organizing group travel for Farmers and Merchants Bank’s Gold Club, escorting groups through the United States and Europe.

Her two great loves are her dogs and high heel shoes.

Contestants for the Junior Queen Mallard are:

Alahna Marie Rhodes, the daughter of Paul and Mandy Rhodes. She is 15 years old and in the 10th grade at DeWitt High School. She is sponsored by Haute Pare. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of showing others the importance of family. Focus on your life, not someone else’s.

Jaden Hornbeck, daughter of Paige and Tyler Hornbeck. She is 13 years old and is in the 8th grade at DeWitt Middle School. She is sponsored by Cypress Island Lodge. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of inspiration to younger girls to love who they are and believe they can be whoever they want to be.

Jessie Ables, daughter of Timmy and Meghan Ables. She is 13 years old and in the 8th grade at Stuttgart Junior High School. She is sponsored by Centerstage Dance Studio. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she wants to leave a legacy of being kind, humble and easy to talk to, welcoming all the visitors to her hometown and making the festival the best ever!

Lily Kate Griffin, daughter of Melissa and Joseph Parker and Cody Griffin. She is 13 years old and is in the 8th grade at Stuttgart Junior High School. She is sponsored by ELJ Trucking. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she wants to continue in the footsteps of former queens as a junior queen who was excited to get to represent the Wings Over the Prairie Festival.

Abigail Rose Mack, daughter of Keith and Kerri Mack. She is 12 years old and is in the 7th grade at Stuttgart Junior High School. She is sponsored by Mack’s Rice Hull Service. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she wants to leave a legacy to new and old friends to live, laugh, love, and always follow your dreams.

Lydia Dyer, daughter of Julie Dyer. She is 13 years old and is in the 8th grade at Stuttgart Junior High School. She is sponsored by Custom Air. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of compassion. No matter where you come from or what your circumstances are, everyone deserves to be shown kindness and love.

Gracey Lane Lloyd, daughter of Matthew and Jennie McSwain and Chad Lloyd. She is 13 years old and is in the 8th grade at DeWitt Middle School. She is sponsored by Kelly’s on the Square in DeWitt. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of a role model for younger girls to show them that it is important to be kind toward your peers and to be confident in yourself.

Kathryn Rodgers, daughter of Bradley and April Rodgers. She is 13 years old and is in the 8th grade at Stuttgart Junior High School. She is sponsored by Longnecker Farms. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy that inspires other girls to be a part of the tradition that is Junior Queen Mallard.

Addison Nicole Hord, daughter of Katie and Eddy Hord. She is 12 years old and is in the 7th grade at Stuttgart Junior High School. She is sponsored by Urgent Care of Stuttgart. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she wants to leave a legacy of Always being willing to help, Never stopped smiling and was Hard working, her initials ANH.

Ella Gray Jackson, daughter of Kimberly and Joe Schimmel and Jon Aaron Jackson. She is 14 years old and is in the 9th grade at Stuttgart High School. She is sponsored by the Farmers and Merchants Bank. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of kindness in everything she does.

Briley Kaylynne Davis, daughter of Dina Davis and the late Ashley Davis. She is 15 years old and in the 10th grade and is homeschooled. She is sponsored by State Farm Insurance David Horton. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of hope that other people can look up and be led to help them give back to their community.

Lola Kate Shook, daughter of Tara and Cody Shook. She is 14 years old and in the 8th grade at DeWitt Middle School. She is sponsored by Shine Beauty Bar. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of being a role model to younger girls and teach them that they can do anything they put their minds to.

Isabelle Leann Gray, daughter of Nicholas and Ashton Gray. She is 13 years old and is in the 8th grade at Hazen High School. She is sponsored by NBG Farms. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of showing that beauty is inward and outward and displayed in many ways of life’s culture.

Hartley Faughn, daughter of Troy and Karla Faughn. She is 13 years old and in the 7th grade at Stuttgart Junior High School. She is sponsored by her parents. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of encouraging other girls to be involved in local events and the community.

Bella Kate Jessup, daughter of Kelsey and Clay Abel and Autumn and Garth Jessup. She is 13 years old and is in the 8th grade at Stuttgart Junior High School. She is sponsored by Yoder Farms 2. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of kindness, love, and happiness. She wants to influence younger girls to shine their light with confidence and spread love.

Haley Grace Addison, daughter of Krystal Addison and the late Jonathan Chism. She is 14 years old and is in the 9th grade at Stuttgart High School. She is sponsored by Konecny Insurance Services. If crowned Junior Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of embracing our areas farming and hunting traditions and showing the younger girls watching it’s ok to always be yourself – be original.

Contestants for Queen Mallard are:

Jacie Houghton, daughter of Kelly and Bryan Houghton. She is 16 years old and is in the 11th grade at Stuttgart High School. She is sponsored by Dry Bayou Lodge. If crowned Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of being a leader and role model to all ages, leaving a positive impact on our community and its visitors.

Emma Blair Banks, daughter of Jackie and Duffie Banks. She is 18 years old and is in the 12th grade at Stuttgart High School. She is sponsored by her parents. If crowned Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave the legacy of someone who is true to herself, kind, and someone who loves her Ricebirds and her community. #GOBIRDS

Layton Olivia Rogers, daughter of Rusty and Kim Rogers. She is 17 years old and is in the 12th grade at Hazen High School. She is sponsored by The Petrus Center for Aesthetic Surgery & Hair Transplantation. If crowned Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of passing along her passion for our resources and global importance.

Devin Rylee Mack, daughter of Keith and Kerri Mack. She is 16 years old and is in the 11th grade at Stuttgart High School. She is sponsored by Mack’s Rice Hull Service. If crowned Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of being remembered by the good things she’s done with kindness and the positive impact she leaves on the community.

Destinee Paige Howard, daughter of De’Arrius Howard and Leslie Rone. =She is 19 years old and is a sophomore at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She is sponsored by Open Season Sports Bar & Grill in Stuttgart. If crowned Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy to young girls of always remembering anything you set your mind to can be accomplished with faith and hard work.

Blakely Emma Stovesand, daughter of Kyle and Mary Brooks Stovesand. She is 17 years old and is in the 12th grade at Stuttgart High School. She is sponsored by her parents. If crowned Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of promoting hunting for the younger generations and letting other women see hunting can be enjoyed by all.

Abby Leann Richardson, daughter of Tammy Gaddy and John Richardson. She is 20 years old and is a sophomore at Arkansas State University Beebe. She is sponsored by Gaddy Farms. If crowned Queen Mallard, she hopes to leave a legacy of leading by Godly example the importance of education and strong morals by showing faith and courage.

Please be advised. This information is what we were able to obtain as of Monday, November 14, 2022, at Noon. More contestants may participate in the pageant and may not be listed as of this publication date.