City Crowns 2011 Miss Artesia Royal Court

Eleven young ladies put their best foot forward tonight at the , impressing an audience of more than 100 people and a panel of six judges with their style, grace, poise and beauty during the 2011 Miss Artesia & Miss Artesia Teen Pageant. 

But at the end of the nearly three-hour long competition, two teens -- one in a ravashing deep fuchsia dress, and the other in a fiery red ensemble -- claimed the two titles. 

Miss Artesia Hunter Davis, who attends St. Joseph Catholic High School in Lakewood and lives in Cerritos, told Patch.com that she was overwhelmingly honored and surprised to have won the crown.

"I was speechless," she said, still a bit flustered nearly 30 minutes after the pageant. "There were no thoughts, I was just so happy that I achieved this big accomplishment for myself."

Hunter wowed the panel of judges during the Active Wear portion of the competition in which each contestant dressed in attire that represented their likes, hobbies, and personality. The 17-year-old was dressed in a chic black and white outfit, resembling a filmmaker, as she clutched a large cardboard camera much to the delight of the crowd and judges, who honored her with the "Best Active Wear" award later in the evening.

Hunter also earned high marks for her poise and well-thought out response during the oft feared Q&A part of the contest.

When asked if there was one thing she could change in the City of Artesia, Hunter said she would make the city more eco-friendly "by planting new plants and trees" and placing more recycling bins throughout the community. 

"I feel very blessed to have won Miss Artesia and I'm really excited to start my new year," she said.

The other winner of the night was Miss Artesia Teen Kenia Avalos, a 16-year-old junior at who enjoys playing soccer and volunteering in the community during her spare time. The Norwalk resident said that being a part of this year's contest was a great learning experience that truly helped her grow as a person.

"I learned to be confident in myself and also I just made great friends," she said with a smile as her group of supporters proudly stood nearby.

Also named to the 2011 Artesia Royal Court were: 

• Pamela Aguilar, Miss Princess
• Andrea Acosta, Miss Princess
• Alyssa Noble, Teen Princess
• Allison Walhof, Teen Princess

Pageant director Erin Miranda said the six judges -- three assigned to each title -- had a difficult task with every contestant perfectly capable of representing the city and the community well.

"This year we have 11 extraordinary contestants who are warm-hearted and beautiful both inside and out," Miranda said. The full list of Miss Artesia contestants included: Pamela Aguilar, Andrea Acosta, Amanda Cox, Ruth Ramirez, and Hunter Davis. The participants running for Miss Artesia Teen included: Kenia Avales, Candace Lloyd, Alyssa Noble, Nicole Xavier, Allison Walhof, and Clarissa Dykes.

The contestants were judged in four areas -- short speeches by each contestant during their introductions, the Active Wear competition, the Evening Gown competition, and the On-Stage Questions segment, which entailed each contestant randomly drawing questions from a sombrero, tying into the program's theme "Latin Explosion."

Other special awards handed out during the festivities included:

• "Miss Congeniality" awarded to Princess Pamela Aguilar
• "Most Photogenic" awarded to Ruth Ramirez
• "Best Active Wear" awarded to Hunter Davis

The new Royal Court will spend their yearlong reign representing the city during community events and ribbon-cuttings, and will also spend time volunteering in the community.

"I'm looking forward to meeting new people, having new experiences, helping out in my community, and just having a great time," Miss Teen Kenia Avalos said.

Before the new court was crowned, the crowd bid farewell to Artesia's 2010 Royal Court: Miss Artesia Marlene Hernandez, Miss Artesia Teen Kristenicole Elms, Miss Princess Dominque Torres, Teen Princess Anastasia Guinio, and Teen Princess Alexis Lucero.

Aside from the dozens of families and friends of the contestants in the crowd, other notable attendees included: Assembly Member Tony Mendoza of the 56th Assembly District, Artesia Council Members Tony Lima, Michele Diaz, and Sally Zuniga Flowers, and several visiting Royal Court members from Downey, Lakewood, and Whittier as well as male and female pageant winners representing Southern California and the state. 

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Editor's Note: A complete video and photo recap of the Miss Artesia Pageant, including live interviews with Miss Artesia Hunter Davis and Miss Artesia Teen Kenia Avalos will be posted on Patch in the coming days.