A title to be proud of

The size of the crown does not make the queen in the eyes of Miss Smoked Meat Kelsey Brianne McDaniel.
McDaniel said, “Being a Miss Queen and a festival queen isn’t much different from being a city’s teen queen. The size of a crown on a girl’s head does not make a difference in the responsibilities she has to uphold. Both are titles worthy of taking pride in and allows a girl to see the state of Louisiana through the eyes of a pageant queen.”
She continued, “To be a good festival queen, one simply needs to understand the importance of her role as an ambassador of her cause and put forth the time and effort to make others aware of such.”
The Ville Platte native is the daughter of Coty McDaniel and Bridget Guillory and the stepdaughter of Ryan Guillory. She is the granddaughter of Blane and Sandra McDaniel and David and Pat McElwee. She is the step-grandaughter of Coral and Virginia Guillory.
She is a pre-nursing major at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. McDaniel’s hobbies include traveling, spending time with family and friends, testing out recipes and do-it-yourself projects from Pinterest, occasionally binge watching Netflix and trying new things. She is a member of Catholic Campus Ministry, and she is employed as a sales associate at Maurices.
In the future, McDaniel plans to earn her bachelor’s degree in nursing from ULM, move to Baton Rouge to attend Our Lady of the Lake College and continue her studies to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist. She would also like to marry and have children.
McDaniel said her best memory of her reign was getting to meet so many children.
“My favorite part of the entire year was walking around the Smoked Meat Festival grounds after I was crowned and having little kids ask if I was a princess and to have their picture taken with me,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said she also chased chickens at the Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras and shot skeets at the Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival.
“Visiting the Pine Prairie nursing home with Ashlyn Soileau, the 2015 Miss Boggy Bayou, warmed my heart,” she said.
McDaniel continued, “This has opened the door to a lot of new friendships, and I got to travel the State of Louisiana and see it through the eyes of a queen.”
During her reign, McDaniel said she realized that stressing out over a challenging situation only makes the situation worse.
“By taking a carefree view in life and simply appreciating what I have gained from this experience, my reign as the 23rd Miss la Viande Boucanee` has been a memorable one, and the title will always be near and dear to my heart,” she said.
“I learned a lot about the Vietnam veterans because that’s how it was started, to give them recognition,” McDaniel said. I didn’t know about that history from class but it has definitely taught me to respect my veterans a lot more and take pride in my country.”
McDaniel hopes her successor takes pride in the holding the title of Miss Smoked Meat.
“When you cross paths with a veteran in your everyday life, do not hesitate to introduce yourself and thank them for their service — they love it,” McDaniel said. “Most importantly, never forget what the crown you wear on your head truly represents.”
McDaniel extended thanks to: Torian Veillon, her personal hair dresser, makeup artist and travel buddy; Ashlyn Soileau, Emily Vidrine, and Bethany Thibodeaux for keeping life on the road interesting; Lori Guillory for capturing her travels on film; her mother and grandmother for their support; and her directors for guidance and encouragement throughout her reign.
By being involved with the festival, McDaniel also gained knowledge about the country’s Vietnam veterans.