MMOT update: First preliminary winners named

Published 7:18 pm Saturday, April 27, 2019

: Contestants practice during a dress rehearsal Saturday before the first preliminary of the Miss Mississippi's Outstanding Teen Pageant at the Vicksburg City Auditorium. (Elijah Baylis/ Special to the Vicksburg Post)

The first round of preliminary competition for the Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen Pageant got underway Saturday afternoon at the Vicksburg Convention Center.

Miss Hattiesburg Jane Granberry and Miss Fairpark Madison Grace McCarter tied for the talent phase of the competition while Miss Southern Oaks Evans Rhett was named the evening wear and on-stage question winner.

Rhett wore a pale blue gown for the competition and said she knew it was the one when she saw it.

“I feel like when you find your evening gown, you just know it is the one because you have that gut feeling, and it helps you show that confidence and helps you feel like the best,” she said.

And for her on-stage question, which dealt with the effects of social media, Rhett said she just took a second to take in the question and know what they asked.

“Then I just gave the best educated answer I had,” she said.

During the talent competition, Granberry performed a jazz dance to Celine Dion’s “River Deep, Mountain High.”

“I think I chose the perfect song,” Granberry said. “I knew I wanted to do something fun and upbeat and get everybody excited about being here.”

Granberry said, to prepare for her performance, she would practice her dance every day.

“Before school, I would go into the volleyball facility and I would run my dance at least two times and then work on all of my tricks,” she said.

For her vocal performance, McCarter chose to sing “Colors of the Wind” from the Disney movie “Pocahontas.”

“I just love this movie and I chose this song because not only is it a really great song, but it also speaks to how we need to take care of the world,” McCarter said.

Singing since she was a little girl, McCarter, like Granberry, said she spent many hours preparing for the talent phase of the competition.

Thirty-five contestants are competing for the title of Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen. The second preliminary competition is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

The competition will resume at 3 p.m. Sunday, where the top 10 finalists will re-compete and one of them will be crowned the 2019 Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen.

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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