Merola ‘overjoyed’ at Olustee title

Suwannee senior backs portraying area history.

  • Miss Olustee Layla Merola, a Suwannee High senior, smiles with Patti Aldous of the Miss Olustee pageant during Friday’s opening of the Olustee Festival. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)
    Miss Olustee Layla Merola, a Suwannee High senior, smiles with Patti Aldous of the Miss Olustee pageant during Friday’s opening of the Olustee Festival. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)
    Suwannee County resident Layla Merola is getting a crash course in North Central Florida Civil War history. As the 2025 Miss Olustee Pageant winner, Merola is now an ambassador for the 46...

    Premium Content is available to subscribers only. Please login here to access content or go here to purchase a subscription.