Miss Byram/Tri-County Taryn Foshee worked for four years to get her gold at the end of the rainbow, and she did it Saturday night when she was crowned Miss Mississippi 2006.

&#8220This crown feels as light as a feather,” said the 21-year-old Mississippi State University student from Clinton. &#8220It feels wonderful.”

As she walked the runway at the Vicksburg Convention Center to the classic ballad &#8220Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” made popular by Dorothy in the original &#8220Wizard of Oz,” Foshee smiled and waved as her eyes filled with tears.

&#8220I’m completely overwhelmed, but I’ve worked so hard for this,” she said. &#8220I’m going to continue to work hard because it’s time for America to take notice of Mississippi again.”

Her competitors agreed this was Foshee’s year to win the crown, here in Vicksburg, and at the Miss America pageant in Los Angeles in September.

&#8220She was my roommate this week,” said Miss William Carey College Lacey Cofield, who was named first alternate.

&#8220We were both packing up our things earlier, and I joked with her that she didn’t need to because she was going to have to stay,” said Cofield, who was competing for the second time.

Miss University Tara Tutor, who was named second alternate, has been competing alongside Foshee since the 2002 pageant. Tutor placed in the Top 10 in 2004.

&#8220I’m so excited for her. She will be a great Miss Mississippi,” Tutor said.

Foshee was crowned by Miss Mississippi 2005 Kristian Dambrino.

&#8220I knew this was the year for her,” Dambrino said. &#8220She had all areas of competition and had worked so hard. She’ll be wonderful.”

Rounding out the rest of the Top Five were Miss Dixieland Amanda-Paige Whittington, third alternate; and Miss Hattiesburg Rachael Shannon, fourth.

Whittington and Shannon, both competing for the second time this year, won swimsuit preliminaries earlier in the week.

Other contestants named to the Top 10, who were selected based on preliminary scores, were Miss Northridge Anna Tadlock, Miss Itawamba Community College Corie Philece Stanford, Miss Meridian Ashley Buckman, Miss Historic Crossroads Jessica Sparks and Miss Madison the City Lindsey Cacamo. Each receives a $2,000 scholarship.

The contestants were judged 30 percent on preliminary scores, then 30 percent on talent, 20 percent on evening wear and 20 percent on swimwear in Saturday’s final competition.

After the 95,383 message votes were counted, Miss Grenada County Lauren Vance was awarded the second annual $2,500 Cellular South Viewer’s Choice Scholarship.

Foshee will remain in Vicksburg for a monthlong preparation period with judges and pageant officials before heading to the Miss America contest.

All 2,000 seats at the Vicksburg Convention Center were filled for Saturday’s show, and few seats were empty for all three preliminary competitions Wednesday through Friday.

Foshee, who placed as second alternate as Miss Clinton last year, will receive a $15,000 scholarship in addition to the $300 she received Thursday for winning a preliminary talent competition with her piano performance of Liberace’s &#8220El Cumbanchero.”

She is the daughter of Jim and Kathleen Foshee of Clinton and is studying public relations at MSU.

Forty-three women ages 17 to 24 competed in this year’s pageant, now in its 71st year. This was Vicksburg’s 49th year as its host city. More than $722,500 in scholarships was awarded to the contestants this year.