Kellie Miller and Luka Lawson help spread the word about Cy Young Days
Little Slugger Luka Lawson, left, and Princess Kellie Miller help represent the Cy Young Days Festival.
The Cy Young Days Festival court is a way for youth to serve their community while having fun at the same time. Serving as 2023-24 princess was Kellie Miller, 6, and Luka Lawson, 7, is serving as the little slugger.
Lawson is the son of Lana and Opha Lawson of Coshocton and has two older sisters, Ella and Oona. Luka Lawson loves sports including basketball, soccer, tee ball and football. He likes math, reading, playing and riding his bicycle. Basketball is his favorite sport, and football may be in his future as he likes to play the game at school with his friends. He attends Coshocton Elementary School.
Royalty runs in the family. His sisters were members of the Coshocton Canal Festival court. His mother was named the adult queen of the Norwalk Strawberry Festival court.
His favorite festival was the grape festival. He enjoys drinking the grape juice they hand out there. He is not a fan of parades that are too long.
“I like to travel so I can try all the different things,” Lawson said, adding his favorite is chocolate.
Miller is the daughter of Brendon and Alyssia Miller of Newcomerstown. She has two sisters, Maci and Marleigh.
She likes being in parades, especially when she can spot her family in the crowd and wave to them.
“She’d go anywhere,” Brendon Miller said.
Kellie Miller likes meeting new people, and she especially enjoyed meeting Miss Ohio Madison Miller of Coshocton. The two have attended some of the same festivals.
Kellie Miller has represented Cy Young Days at festivals in Bakersville and Coshocton and at the West Lafayette Homecoming and First Town Days in New Philadelphia.
She attends East School in Newcomerstown. She likes to play with her friends at recess, and she enjoys doing pageants. She likes to read and draw.
“She’s always bringing home drawings,” Brendon Miller said.
Both Kellie Miller and Luka Lawson enjoy the vintage base ball game at the Cy Young Days Festival each year.
“They don’t use gloves,” Kellie Miller said.
They like the differences in the game including using wooden bats and wearing old-fashioned uniforms.
In the future Kellie Miller would like to be a teacher. She likes to learn new things.
Lawson would like to be a police officer because his father is in the police department. He has been on the court for two years. He enjoys it because he makes new friends and sometimes they have time to play before luncheons. He also knows no strangers and has made new friends.
Being on the court was a good experience for Kellie Miller, who went from not talking at all to now giving presentations on stage through the help of speech therapy. She wants to be a member of the court at least three times so she also can give crowns to her sisters.
Royalty coordinator Jen Lindig was pleased with the efforts of both children.
“Princess Kellie is a sweet, little girl from a wonderful family,” Lindig said. “All the parents are great and 100% willing to do well to represent the community.”
This will be the last year for Lawson on the court as there are no other titles for boys at this time.
“Luka has been fun to have on the court because of his fun, energetic spirit,” Lindig said. “He is ornery, but he is a great representative as well. His family is very active in their community, church, sports and theater.”
Lindig encourages anyone interested in being on the court to submit an application. Applicants will be needed for all titles.
“It’s fun. They learn public speaking and make great friends,” Lindig said.
Applications will be available in April.