Twirling a pink plastic lollipop the size of a soccer ball over her shoulder, 17-year-old Teagan Steele strode confidently across the length of Baldy Mesa Elementary’s auditorium stage. Casting a smile towards the audience, she placed the head of the lollipop on the stage and gently whirled around it, showing off the multi-colored conversation hearts that cascaded down her torso into the yellow ruffles of her sundress. Once she made a full circle, she returned the prop to her shoulder and kicked up her foot, highlighting the ribbon bows that adorned her white heels.
Steele is one of Phelan’s seven new Queens selected Saturday Sept. 12 at the annual Miss Phelan Pageant to support and represent Phelan.
“I’m really proud that I’ve come this far and get to serve my community,” Steele said. “I’m excited to see what this year of service brings!”
Queens, the winners of the Miss Phelan Pageant, are expected to attend community events throughout the year, providing an anchor of local pride and inspiration. They will appear throughout the High Desert, according to pageant organizer Roxanne Marinello, including at the upcoming Phelan Phun Days on Saturday, October 3rd.
Although attire plays an important role in the pageant, it is by no means the only factor that the judges take into consideration.
Queens are judged on both physical appearance and non-tangible qualities, such as personality and interview quality. Contestants must score well in all categories to be crowned Queen, and may have the opportunity to win awards other than Queenship, including Most Photogenic or Best Attire. Contestants who are not crowned Queen may still obtain these awards, such as Rowan Seddon, the Duchess of Tiny Miss Phelan, who won Best Smile.
Contestants wore three different outfits throughout the course of the pageant, each inspired by a set theme: Candy Land, Fitness and Formal Wear. Their outfits demonstrated their unique personalities and interests, ranging from Elizabeth Cramesy’s consistently colorful hair bows to Alexis Lan Franco’s sportscar-inspired Fitness fit.
“I love off roading and l knew no one else would be a race car driver,” Lan Franco told Tri-Community NewsPlus after the pageant had ended.
Her effort paid off — Lan Franco was crowned Little Miss Phelan, one of nine Miss Phelan subcategories designed to give an equal spotlight to women of all ages. Contestants as young as 1 year entered the Tiny Miss Phelan, while contestants aged 22 and older were able to enter either as Ms. Phelan or Mrs. Phelan.
Danielle Downing, who is married and works as a teacher, is the pageant’s first Mrs. Miss Phelan. The Mrs. and Ms. subcategories of the pageant, both of which are designed for participants aged 22 and older, are new as of the 2026–2027 year.
“I used to do Miss Phelan pageants a long time ago,” Downing told the audience during her interview on the pageant’s stage. “I just wanted to come out and represent my people.”
This year’s Queens held a variety of perspectives on what it means to represent their community.
For Angie Genova, Young Miss Phelan, it means helping her community through service. For Miss Phelan Teagan Steele, it means “representing the little girl [she] used to be”: showing that girls can be both “helpful and glamorous.”
All Queens for the 2026–2027 year are listed below.
- Tiny Miss Phelan: Elizabeth Cramsey
- Petite Miss Phelan: Kaydance Lam
- Little Miss Phelan: Alexis Lan Franco
- Jr. Miss Phelan: Jennessy Espinoza
- Young Miss Phelan: Angie Genova
- Miss Phelan: Teagan Steele
- Mrs. Miss Phelan: Danielle Downing
