MMOT: Miss Jones' take talent in first preliminary - The Vicksburg Post

MMOT: Miss Jones’ take talent in first preliminary

Published 11:08 pm Saturday, April 29, 2017

: Miss Jones County's Outstanding Teen Madeline Holmes performs during the first preliminary competition Saturday afternoon. (Courtland Wells / The Vicksburg Post)

The 2017 Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen pageant got underway Saturday afternoon at the Vicksburg City Auditorium. Three preliminary winners were named at the 13th installment of the teen pageant with a tie in one of the competition categories.

Miss Jones’s County Outstanding Teen Madeline Holmes won the talent portion of the competition.

The 17-year-old Clinton High School student sang “Finding Wonderland” from “Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical Adventure.”

“This song moved me the first time I heard it, Holmes said, because of its message.

Holmes, who is the daughter of Derek and Penny Holmes, said she has grown up singing and is currently a member of two choirs at her high school — the Colla Voce Choir and Arrows 401, which is an all women’s acapella group.

This is Holmes’ first year to compete in the teen pageant, but not the first time she has thought about vying for the title.

“This has always been a dream of mine, and this year I made the time to do it,” she said.

Miss Vicksburg’s Outstanding Teen Holly Brand and Miss Pride of the South’s Outstanding Teen Julieanna Jackson tied in the evening wear and on-stage question portion of the competition.

Brand is daughter of Barry and Connie Brand of Meridian.

The 16-year-old wore a red evening gown for the competition.

“I had already purchased a gown for the competition, and when I went back to the store to get a talent dress, my mom found this evening gown. She told me to try it on. I didn’t want to, but I did and when I put it on, we both loved it.”

For the on-stage question portion of the competition, Brand said her heart was beating really fast, but felt like she did a good job.

“When she asked me about texting and driving, I felt comfortable and was happy with my questions,” Brand said.

Jackson, who is the daughter of Danny and Tori Jackson of Mize wore a pink gown for the eveningwear competition.

“My favorite color has always been light pink and when I found this dress with the green and blue stones on it, I knew right away when I tried it on I wanted to wear it in the competition,” she said.

This is Jackson’s second time to compete in the Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen Pageant, she said.

“Last year I got third runner-up,” Jackson said.

The 14-year-old’s platform is Matchbook, she said, and it is focused on getting young children to like reading.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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