Little Miss Merry Christmas candidates announced

The 2014 Little Miss Merry Christmas candidates have been announced by the Ambassadors of the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce. This year's field includes nine girls from ages 5-10 vying for the title.
The contest is a fundraiser for the Portales Christmas Lighting Program. Each candidates raise money with the aid of a sponsor business and the candidate who raises the most is crowned Little Miss Merry Christmas at a coronation Dec. 4 at the Yam Theatre, 219 S. Main in Portales.
Contributions can be made to the candidate of your choice at their respective sponsors or by contacting the candidate's family. Below is a list of the candidates along with their bios and sponsor information.
Esmeralda Cuevas is 6 years old and the daughter of Joel and Ana Baltazar. Esmeralda attends James Elementary and is in first grade. She has four brothers and one sister - Juan, Joel, Ignacio, Harvey and Cymantha. She has two dogs, Layla and Rico. Her hobbies include dancing, singing songs, drawing and playing with make-up. What she likes most about Christmas is decorating the Christmas tree, shopping, wrapping gifts and filling the family stockings. She is sponsored by Ashley Furniture HomeStore, located at 312 S. Ave. C, in Portales.  
Kadence Dunsworth is 7 years old and attends second grade at James Elementary school. She is the daughter of Sophia and Jason Dunsworth. Kadence hobbies consist of riding ATV 4-wheelers, camping and spending time with family. What she likes most about Christmas is celebrating the holiday with family, when Santa arrives at her house and opening presents. Kadence is sponsored by C & S, Inc., located at 300 W. 1^st St., in Portales.
Danika Encinias is 9 years old and the daughter of Amerblie Puebla and Michael Pena. Her siblings are Malachi, Zillah, and Michael. Danika attends Valencia Elementary for fourth grade. Her favorite pet is a cat named Rosie. Her hobbies are basketball, drawing, bike riding, and board games. What she likes most about Christmas are the presents, and she adores the Christmas lights around town. She loves to decorate the tree with her family and they all bake together for the holiday. Danika is sponsored by Papa Murphy’s, located at 421 S. Ave C, in Portales.
Ariana Joy Gonzales is 6 years old and is the daughter of Jeremiah and Carlee Gonzales. Ariana attends first grade at James Elementary. She has 3 siblings, Issac, Juliana, and Roman. Her favorite pet is a bearded dragon named Rango. Her hobbies are football, make-up, and playing with her brothers and sister. What she likes most about Christmas is everything! She wants everyone to be happy, plus she likes the candies. Ariana is sponsored by James Polk Stone Community Bank, located at 109 E. 2^nd St., in Portales.
Casyn Mitchell is 9 years old and the daughter of BJ and Erin Mitchell. Cashyn has one sibling, Brent. She attends Valencia Elementary and is in fourth grade. She has four goats and six dogs, and her hobbies consist of volleyball, softball, basketball, cooking and playing the drums. What she likes most about Christmas is getting to spend time with her family. Casyn is sponsored by M&M Motor Repair, 213 Georgia St., in Clovis.  
Cacie Sherburne is 6 years old and is the daughter of Montane Lee and Justin Sherburne. Kelsey is in first grade at James Elementary. She has two siblings, Kayden and Wyatt, and her hobbies are riding horses and coloring. What she likes most about Christmas is the snow, Santa and his presents. Cacie is sponsored by Frank Levacy Trucking, 1794 S. Roosevelt Rd., 2 Ln, in Portales.
Madalin Tivis is the daughter of Kie and Kristy Tivis and is 5 years old. She attends kindergarten at Brown Elementary. She has one sibling, Dallas, and four dogs. Her hobbies are dancing and singing. What she likes most about Christmas is Jesus Christ, Santa, the bright lights and building snowmen. Madalin is sponsored by Yucca, located at 201 W. 2^nd, in Portales.
Patricia Ynez Villegas is 6 years old and attends kindergarten at Brown Elementary. She is the daughter of Miguel Villegas and Juana Olivas. She has three siblings, Cruz, Samyra and Izela, and two pets named Princess and Cujo. Patricia’s hobbies consist of playing GTO. What she likes most about Christmas is celebrating the holiday with family, opening presents and eating. Patricia is sponsored by La Casa Family Health Center, 1515 W. Fir, in Portales.
Valerie Williamson is 5 years old and the daughter of Dustin and Samantha Williamson. Valerie attends Brown Early Childhood Center and is in kindergarten. She has one sibling, Collin. She has one dog, Duke, one cat, Molly, one fish, Ariel, and lots of goats. Her hobbies include singing, playing with Barbie’s, reading, math and art. What she likes most about Christmas is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, decorating the Christmas tree, spending time with her family, seeing Santa and opening presents. She is sponsored by L & J Well Service, located at 2187 S. Roosevelt, Rd.6, in Portales.