Kaidynce McGillicuddy, Meg Davis and Harper Haley crowned Jacksonville royalty

Their crowns come with a public job description: represent Jacksonville at parades, community activities, events in surrounding towns and Jacksonville Main Street functions.

Kaidynce McGillicuddy, Meg Davis and Harper Haley were named Jacksonville’s new royalty on June 1, adding three familiar local names to a tradition that still carries weight in Morgan County. Jacksonville Main Street says the Miss Jacksonville pageant is meant to encourage youth to get involved in the community and to learn and share the city’s history, which is why the results matter beyond the stage.

The pageant is organized around clear age divisions. Little Miss Jacksonville covers ages 5 to 7, Junior Miss Jacksonville covers ages 10 to 12, and Miss Jacksonville covers ages 15 to 18. Eligibility is limited to girls who live within Jacksonville School District 117, and each division can accept no more than 10 participants. Contestants are judged through an interview, an onstage question and modeling in a party dress or evening gown.

That structure makes the pageant part competition and part civic training. Winners are expected to show up publicly throughout the year, serving as visible ambassadors for downtown events, neighborhood celebrations and the city’s broader calendar. In a town where families still track who is representing Jacksonville at civic gatherings, that kind of role matters. It gives young residents a place in the public square and gives the community a set of faces tied to service, poise and local pride.

The timing also shows how seriously the organization treats the event. Jacksonville Main Street’s 2026 calendar listed the Miss Jacksonville pageant for May 29, while the competition paperwork for 2026 was due Jan. 3 and the contest itself was scheduled for Jan. 24. That long lead time reflects a program built around planning, appearance and public responsibility, not just a single night of recognition.

The pageant also fits into a broader county tradition. The Morgan County Fair’s 2026 schedule includes the 68th Annual Morgan County Fair Pageant on July 7, another reminder that pageantry remains a recurring part of local life. After Jacksonville’s bicentennial year in 2025, capped by a finale on Oct. 4, 2025, the crowns for McGillicuddy, Davis and Haley extend that same sense of continuity into 2026.