Saturday’s Cañon City Music & Blossom Festival Queen Pageant marked a first for Olivia Landry— and the first time proved to be the charm. Landry was crowned queen during the 81st annual pageant held at Cañon City High School.
Landry and her court will reign over the 2026 Music & Blossom Festival, scheduled for April 29 through May 3 in and around Cañon City.
A senior at Cañon City High School, Landry said she is grateful a friend encouraged her to step outside of her comfort zone and try the pageant.
“My first thought when I heard my name was that this isn’t real,” she said. “This was just my first year doing the pageant, and it was a great experience.”
She said she is especially excited to see the community come together during Blossom Festival weekend.
“I am looking forward to making connections with the court and the sisterhood we will create over the next few weeks, culminating with Blossom weekend,” she said.
The queen and her court make numerous appearances during Blossom Weekend and throughout the summer, but one of the most cherished traditions is riding on the float during the annual Blossom parade.
This year’s pageant was also a first for senior Zafa Koehn, who was named First Attendant.
“I feel amazing right now,” Koehn said. “I am shocked and excited. I am already looking forward to all of the activities I will get to participate in with the queen, the court, and our community.”
Senior Olivia Brady put years of hard work and dedication to the test Saturday and was thrilled to be named Second Attendant as she competed in the pageant for the fourth time.
“When I heard the name Olivia, I thought there is no way that’s me because there were two Olivias in the pageant,” Brady said. “Then they said my last name, and I thought, that is my name!”
Brady said the decision to compete again this year was easy because of her deep love for the Blossom Pageant. She said she looks forward to serving the community as a member of the court in the coming year.
Heather Thomas, the only junior on the court, earned the title of Miss Personality.
“I was so shocked,” she said. “I didn’t think my peers would pick me because I’m such a free spirit.”
Pageant director Megan McCarter drew inspiration from the wildflowers of the Colorado mountains for this year’s theme, “Bloom.”
“This year’s theme was inspired by wildflowers and their ability to adapt and bloom where they are,” McCarter said. “The candidates embraced the theme maybe more than ever this year, which was really cool to see.”
McCarter said the evening was a success and praised the contestants for their efforts.
“It is always an exciting night to meet our new court, and this year was no exception,” she said. “They will be fun to work with. All of the candidates did a phenomenal job.”
For more information about this year’s Music & Blossom Festival, visit the festival website.
Award Winners
Queen – Olivia Landry
First Attendant – Zafa Koehn
Second Attendant – Olivia Brady
Miss Personality – Heather Thomas
Third Runner-up – Brielle Gifford
Fourth Runner-up – Sophie LeDoux
Interview/Merit – Kaylee Curry
Modeling – Kiana Guion
Miss Photogenic – Andrea McFadyen Manchego
Spirit of Blossom – Ella Hudson and Shayla Harper
Little Mister – Xander Zechariah Maldonado
Little Miss – Nez’Mariah Rayne Fox