Neewollah Generalissimo, Cody Dixon has announced Letitia Avery and Brenda
Johnson as the Co-Chairs for the Neewollah Scarecrow Contest.
Letitia Avery has called Independence home since she was 5 years old. While
she has lived away from the community a few times over the years, she has
always found her way back home. Her connection to Neewollah began as a
young girl, when she remembers spending time at her stepfather Terry Davis’
barbecue rib stand during the festival and attending Queen’s Talent Night.
Letitia has been involved in Neewollah in a variety of roles throughout the years,
including serving as co-chair of the Coronation Committee multiple times and
helping choreograph the opening number for several years. She has also served
on the Coronation Committee, Dessert Contest Committee and Play Prop
Committee, and as co-chair of the Play Set, Queen’s Ball and Pre-Parade
Breakfast committees. Neewollah has been a family tradition for Letitia. Her
daughter, D’asia Jones, was a Neelah Deb and later a Queen candidate,
finishing as second runner-up. Professionally, Letitia has spent the past 19 years
at Standard Motor Products. She recently added a new chapter to her career
with the launch of LA’s Planning, a downtown Independence event-planning
business, which she has operated for the past nine months. Through both her
professional work and years of Neewollah involvement, Letitia continues to
contribute her time, creativity and enthusiasm to the Independence
community.
Brenda Johnson has been part of the Neewollah tradition for many years, first
becoming involved as a Queen Neelah Candidate in 1992, earning the Miss
Personality title. After returning to Independence in 2015, she became active in
Neewollah once again and has continued to serve the festival in a variety of
roles. Brenda served on the Queen’s Coronation Committee from 2019 through
2021 and has been a familiar face behind the scenes of the Neewollah Musical,
contributing in a wide range of capacities over the years. Her roles have
included Flight Captain for The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz
and Peter Pan; Set Lead for Beauty and the Beast and Co-Lead for Annie; Set
Shop Coordinator for Elf The Musical; Props Magic for Mary Poppins and The
Addams Family; Costumes for Shrek The Musical; and stagehand for numerous
other productions. This year, Brenda is taking on a new role as co-chair of the
Scarecrow Contest, continuing her tradition of finding ways to contribute to the
festival she has been part of for decades.
Join in the Neewollah spirit and get creative with the 7th Annual Scarecrow
Contest! Have a case of Frozen Fever? Channel your inner Elsa, Anna or Olaf, or
let your imagination run wild and bring your own unique creation to life! Entry
forms and completed scarecrows must be delivered to LA’s Planning, 311 N.
Penn Ave., on Friday, October 9, from 4 to 6 p.m. or Saturday, October 10, from
2 to 5 p.m. Prizes will be awarded in Main Street Bucks: $150 for first place, $100
for second place and $50 for People’s Choice. Community members can cast
their votes at Neewollah Headquarters, 317 N. Pennsylvania Ave., during regular
store hours from October 12 through October 28, with voting ending at 10 a.m.
on October 28. Winners will be announced Wednesday, October 28, at 8:30
p.m. at the Neewollah Bandstand. Scarecrow Contest guidelines and entry
forms are available now at
www.neewollah.com and will be available
beginning Saturday, October 3, at Neewollah Headquarters.