Melea Bedford had her dream come true last Thursday when the Kilgore Rangerettes named their newest team members.

The 2020 Mineola graduate was among 32 young ladies named to the famed dance troupe’s 82nd line. They will join the second-year members of the 81st line to perform for the next year, then move up and join Line 83 the following year.

It was Bedford’s second time to try out for the ‘Rettes, which is a difficult task to accomplish as most of the new line members are selected their first time to try out.

Bedford attended Kilgore Junior College the past year where she took dance classes and got to know some of the team members.

She described the tryouts as “super nerve-wracking.”

She said that it was difficult to put into words what it meant to her when the announcement came that she had made the team.

She has been taking dance lessons since she was four and first attended a Rangerette mini-camp after the fourth grade.

“That’s when I fell in love with the Rangerettes,” she said, and decided that’s what she wanted to be. She has continued attending their camps.

She said the last year was hard work, but she learned a lot and it has been worth the effort.

Having been through the disappointment once of not making the team, she told her parents, who were waiting in the car, that if she came outside, it meant she hadn’t made it.

But instead she got to make the call, and she had to hold the phone away from her ear, their excitement was so loud. Her grandmother, Teresa Morgan, and twin brother, Zane, were also on hand for the great news.

Melea will report to KJC in mid-August when the Rangerettes move into their own dorm and begin working on their routines. Her roommate is from Gladewater.

In addition to performing the halftime shows for the Kilgore football team, the ‘Rettes are in demand around the country and the world. They also put on several professional shows throughout the year, including a Christmas show and a spring performance known as Revels which showcases the girls’ multiple talents.

Bedford has been continuing her dance lessons the past two years at the Tina Grider School of Dance in Longview, and prior to that participated with Dance Dimensions in Mineola.

She is the daughter of Teri and Kyle Bedford.