Smiles were spotted all around in the Mt Hope High School auditorium as the Bristol community crowned their Miss Fourth of July, Little Miss Fourth of July and their respective courts as the town begins to gear up for the 2026 Fourth of July celebration.

The winner of the Miss Fourth pageant was Cristina Marino, an 18-year-old freshman at Emerson College, with a major in media arts production. Marino was filled with pride and joy at being named the winner of the pageant.

“I hope to make my family, my friends and the community proud,” Marino said. “I hope to honor tradition, but also change and adaptability to make Bristol as beautiful as it is.”

Joining her on the royal court are fourth runner up Mekayla Neves, third runner up Thalia Adkins, second runner up Marissa Cabral and first runner up Avery Walsh. In addition, Lilah DaPonte was named Miss Congeniality.

Also named was the little Miss Fourth winner Sloane Tucker, a 9-year-old student at Colt-Andrews School. Tucker, much like her older counterpart, was extremely excited to represent the town.

“It’s very cool and I’m very proud of everyone,” she said of her fellow contestants. Joining her on her royal court will be runners-up Contessa Kotuby and Florence Ring.

Outgoing Miss Fourth and Little Miss Fourth, Ava Valenzuela and Scarlett Tucker, were also in attendance, where they thanked the crowd and community for their support over the past year.

However, while it was these girls who walked out with the crowns, the whole community walked away as winners. Joy was seen in every inch of the auditorium, as friends, family and other community members cheered for the contestants and had fun throughout the night. While judges were away voting, teacher Scott Pellerin was DJing, playing songs as residents came down to dance in the halls. At one point, he played the chicken dance and put on a chicken head and did the dance alongside a group of jubilant students.

The courts, and the community, will have many more situations to show their community spirit over the next few months, at events including the Fourth of July Ball, the Flag Day Ceremony and the Fourth of July Parade.