132 princesses and 3 princes honored at onset of Miss Mississippi festivities

Published 9:36 pm Saturday, June 17, 2017

Royalty was in the house last night when 132 princesses were crowned at the Vicksburg Convention Center.

Three princes were bestowed a gold medallion.

The event was part of the Miss Mississippi Corp. Magnolia Prince and Princess mentoring program.

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Each local titleholder who will be competing in the Miss Mississippi Pageant serves as a mentor to the children, who range in age from 7 to 10 years, throughout their reign.

The children will also participate in stage production numbers during the Miss Mississippi Pageant.

Twin sisters Abbie and Allie Mattox are serving as princesses for Miss Parade of Beauties Blair Wortsmith.

“This is our first time to be princesses,” Abbie said, with sister Allie adding they were already having a lot of fun.

Both girls said they would someday like to be a contestant in the Miss Mississippi Pageant and participating in the Magnolia Prince and Princess mentoring program can serve as the first step to the crown.

Jarvis McGee Jr. is one of only three boys in this year’s pageant, and like the twins, this is Jarvis’ first time as royalty.

His dad, Jarvis McGee Sr., said Miss Riverland Joy Addison reached out to his son about serving as her prince.

McGee said serving as a prince is right up his son’s alley.

“This will be a good experience for him, and he likes to dress up and be in the spot light,” McGee said.

Lisa Boleware, who is a volunteer with the Miss Mississippi Pageant and serves as the Prince and Princess chairwoman, said this event is one of the highlights for the children who are part of the program.

“This is a spotlight on them, and it is a great way to begin the pageant week,” Boleware said.

Contestants, along with their prince and princess, will begin rehearsals today for the pageant that is set to begin this week.

The Miss Mississippi Parade will roll at 7 p.m. Monday in downtown Vicksburg followed by an autograph signing at the Outlets at Vicksburg.

Preliminary competitions will get under way Wednesday and run through Friday. The final night of the Miss Mississippi Pageant competition and crowning will be held Saturday. All competitions will begin at 8 p.m. at the VCC, 1600 Mulberry St.

All tickets are sold out for competition, but Saturday night’s final competition and crowning will be televised on WLBT, and it will be live streamed on the Miss Mississippi website.

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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