The 2021 New Melle Festival Queen Candidates were ecstatic to be able to host the seventh annual Kickin' it for Cancer kickball tournament on Friday, May 21. A total of thirteen teams registered and came out to play to support the cause. The team names are as follows: Bad News Bears (forest green), Baller Bruins (navy), Below Average Joes (red), Blondin Ballers (dark gray), Catala Facial Retreat & The Red Beauty Salon (orange), Chainkickers (maroon), Drinkers with a Kicking Problem (light gray), Freeballers (charcoal), Got the Runs (royal blue), K.I.R.K.Y.B.T. (gold), Nut Up Or Shut Up (black), Quit Yer Pitchin' (teal), and The Green Team (green). Both players and spectators were able to enjoy NMSR concessions.

Shortly after sunset, the Joerling family and close friends released memorial lanterns into the sky in loving memory Trevor Joerling. Following the lantern release, the 50/50 raffle winner was drawn and Mr. Stocker donated all proceeds, which totaled a little over $450, back to Friends of Kids with Cancer.

With games starting at 5 p.m., most teams were guaranteed to play at least three games before moving into the finals. Eight teams moved on to later games which led to the semi-final and championship games. The championship game wrapped up in the midnight hour deeming Freeballers, led by team captain Courtney Laughlin, as the tournament champions, with Quit Yer Pitchin' (Jenna Paul) coming in second. The Green Team (Kati Coulter) placed third overall in the tournament.

Tournament shirts are still available for purchase for those that were not able to attend the tournament. If interested, please reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The t-shirts feature the 2021 tournament sponsors: Elite Heating and Air Conditioning, Karrenbrock Construction, Inc., Blondin Professional Real Estate, Tuepker Brothers Construction, New Melle Dental, Grace Hauling, Catala Facial Retreat and Boutique, King Contracting, Fixture Concepts, Bankhead Orthodontics Specialists, Peoples Savings Bank, Overstock Outlet, Builder's Bloc, Ages and Stages Learning Center, Audrey Lee Photography, Bavarian Smoke Haus, Sorenson Kennels, A&S Septic, New Melle 411, Tharp Contracting, Straatmann Feed, Short Stops and Randy Paul Construction.

The Pageant coordinator, Jenna Paul, as well as the 2021 candidates, Maggie McDonough, Daileigh Pinkston, and Jordan Ropp would like to send a heart-felt and sincere thank you to every person that made this tradition possible this year: the team captains, the bracket makers and score keepers, players, spectators, the event sponsors and the NMSR employees and personnel, THANK YOU!

With the community's support, the New Melle Festival Queen Pageant is well on track to send a $5,000 donation to Friends of Kids with Cancer this year! Cumulatively, the New Melle Festival Queen Pageant has been able to donate over $30,000 over the past seven years to the Friends of Kids with Cancer organization, in loving memory of Trevor Joerling.