King and Queen, Prince and Princess named as Dogwood Royalty Contest

QUINCY — Arts Quincy announced the winners of its inaugural Dogwood Royalty Contest on Wednesday night. The winners fall into two age groups — ages 7-10 and ages 4-6.

The Little King of Dogwood is Julian Stickler, 9, son of Jennifer Stickler. He attends Rooney Elementary School.

The Little Queen of Dogwood is Manushree Motati, 10, daughter of Malkireddy Motati and Chaitanya Nadimpally. She attends Baldwin Elementary School.

The Little Prince of Dogwood is Ledger Warner, 6, son of Logan and Lisa Warner. He attends Lincoln-Douglas Elementary School.

The Little Princess of Dogwood is Aurora Groman, 6, daughter of Joel and Tara Groman. She attends Iles Elementary School.

The court is comprised of Kinsely Duschinsky, Tanmayi Vadlamannati, Tarini Vadlamannati, Indy Warner, Lydia Hoffman and Elinor AuBuchon, who were the runners-up. 

“We are so impressed with the candidates and their poise and personalities,” Laura Sievert, Arts Quincy Executive Director, said in a press release. “All the contestants incorporated the parade theme, showed creativity in their video submissions and told us what community means to them. The winners represent the community well.” 

Arts Quincy partnered with Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce to organize this year’s Dogwood Royalty Event. This year’s Dogwood Parade is Star Wars-inspired: “May the Fourth: The Power of Community.” To enter to become Dogwood Royalty, contestants submitted a short video explaining what the power of community means to them that also incorporates the Star Wars theme.
 
Winners will ride with Arts Quincy in the Chamber’s Dogwood Parade on Saturday, May 4. The royalty will be followed by their court. Gem City Ford is donating vehicles for the royalty to ride in during the parade.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The last name for the Little Princess of Dogwood was misspelled in previous versions of this story.