2 contestants tie in talent in teen pageant

Published 12:00 am Friday, June 12, 2009

Two young women, including one from Vicksburg, tied for top honors in talent Thursday night in the first round of competition in the fifth annual Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen Pageant.

Miss Midsouth Grace Claire Cordes of Vicksburg and Miss Madison County Chassidy Sumler of Flora both sang.

Miss Southern Magnolia Allie Odom, 17, took the sportswear competition. She is the daughter of Patrick and Diane Odom of Madison and attends Madison Central High School.

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Grace Claire, 17, is the daughter of Dale and Lyn Cordes, and attends Warren Central High School. She performed Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro.”

Chassidy, 15, is the daughter of Perry and Sharon Sumler and also attends Madison Central High School.

Preliminaries for the 34 contestants continue tonight at the Vicksburg Convention Center, and the new title-holder will be crowned Saturday night. The show begins at 8 each night.

The top 10, who will be announced at the beginning of Saturday’s show, will compete in the categories of evening wear, lifestyle and fitness, talent and on-stage questionnaire.

The pageant is an arm of the Miss Mississippi Pageant, and the winner will compete for the title of American’s Outstanding Teen in Orlando Aug. 11-15.

The local winner will receive a $5,000 savings bond, and the four runners-up will receive $1,000 savings bonds.

Tickets for tonight’s event are $15 and for Saturday, $25. They can be purchased at the pageant office at the BancorpSouth building on South Street. For more information, call 601-638-6746.