(Editor’s Note—The following is a portion of an article from Louisiana Conservationist Winter 2024 magazine. The conclusion will run in next week’s Pilot.)
By Jim Smile, LDWF Public Information
When Jadyn Devillier was crowned the 65th Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival Queen in January, she was the first representative of St. Martin Parish ever to be selected as queen. While it was a first for the parish, it was the third time a member of the Devillier family was named festival queen.
Jadyn’s mother, Sonia Devillier, started the tradition in 1991 as the 35th queen. Since then, both of her daughters have earned the crown and fur coat that goes with the title of Louisiana Fur andd Wildlife Festival Queen. Oldest daughter, Julian Devillier Cormier was selected as the 58th festival queen. “We’re a furmily,” Sonia said.
As unlikey as it may seem for three members of the same family to be selected as festival queens over a three decade period, the story behind the streak makes the result even more impressive.
“I was an athlete, so I didn’t think too much about pageants,” Sonia explained. But, she decided to enter the Miss Iberia contest for fun and ended up winning. “Miss Iberia went on to the Sugar Festival. If she didn’t win there, then she would go as Iberia’s representative at the Fur Festival.”
As it turned out, Sonia didn’t win at the Sugar Festival, so it was on to Cameron for the Fur Festival. She didn’t win there either, finishing as the second runner-up. At that point, she figured that was the end of the line. It wasn’t.
A few months into her reign, the queen had to step down. The first runner-up was pregnant and unable to accept the duties, so Sonia was next in line. “I got a call from the festival board asking if I could finish out the term,” Sonia said.
She said she was hesitant at first, knowing she was the third choice, but she felt it was important to represent the festival and ensure it got its recognition at events such as the Mardi Gras in Washington D.C. “I’m very thankful that I made that decision,” Sonia said. “I kind of got the best of the deal getting to enjoy the end of the reign. The Washington D.C. Mardi Gras was the most spectacular thing I’ve ever been to. Once you’re the fur queen, there’s nothing better.”
Fast forward to 2014 when daughter Julian was named Miss Crowley. Just as Miss Iberia advanced to compete for the Sugar Festival crown, Miss Crowley advanced to the 2015 Rice Festival. If she didn’t win that crown, she would advance to the Fur Festival.
“Being Miss Rice Festival was my end-all, be-all,” Julian said. When she finished as the first alternate, she considered letting her pageant career end. That’s when her mother mentioned that she had served as Fur Festival Queen and how much she enjoyed that experience. “I didn’t realize she had been the Fur Festival Queen,” Julian said. “The more I read about the industry and the festival the more I wanted it. I didn’t realize how much it would mean to me.”
With a renewed spirit, Julian entered the 2016 Fur Festival pageant and topped eight other contestants to take the crown. But it wasn’t her last crown and title.
Each year, the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals holds a competition pitting the prior year festival queens in a competition to be the queen of queens.
(To be continued.)