4 crowned in city; 2 headed to Miss Mississippi
Published 11:29 pm Saturday, January 21, 2012
Four new queens were crowned at the Vicksburg Auditorium Saturday night, including one on the eve of her birthday.
Vicksburg’s Jeralyn Stuart, 19, a sophomore biology major at the University of Mississippi, won the 2012 Miss Vicksburg crown, while Julie Falgout of Hattiesburg, who turns 23 today, was crowned Miss Riverbend.
Stuart and Falgout will go on to compete in the Miss Mississippi Pageant at the Vicksburg Convention Center June 27 to 30.
“I couldn’t have done this without the help of my friends — so many of them came to cheer me on tonight — and my family and my voice director,” said Stuart, whose rendition of “Can’t Help Loving That Man” also won her the pageant’s overall talent award. “This is such an honor.”
Falgout said she’d been first runner-up in eight other pageants this year and was thrilled that “the curse was broken” just before her birthday.
Also crowned was Alexis Stevenson, 16, as Miss Vicksburg Outstanding Teen, and Clinton’s Katie Pinkard, 16, as Miss Riverbend Outstanding Teen.
Stevenson and Pinkard will compete for the Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen crown in the pageant May 31 to June 2.
“It’s a dream,” said Stevenson. “I’ve been wanting this for so long, since I was about 5 years old.”
Pinkard also won the overall teen talent and fitness-wear awards. Her platform, Diamonds Sparkle, is an organization she is starting which will promote healthy, nonabusive relationships for teen girls, she said.