McCarter, Bumgarner win preliminary titles in Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen Competition

Published 8:20 pm Saturday, April 23, 2022

: The reigning 2021 Miss Mississippi's Outstanding Teen Tori Johnson stands with the first round of MMOT preliminary winners Saturday afternoon. Pictured are, from left, Miss Deep South Madison McCarter, Johnson and Miss Delta Brooke Bumgarner. McCarter won the talent phase of the competition and Bumgarner won the evening wear/on-stage question phase. Terri Frazier/ The Vicksburg Post

The first round of the Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen preliminary competitions was underway Saturday afternoon at the Vicksburg City Auditorium with two veterans winning.

Miss Deep South Madison McCarter won the talent phase of the competition singing “I Am Here,” from the musical, “The Color Purple” and Miss Delta Brook Bumgarner won in the evening wear/on-stage question phase.

Bumgarner, who is competing for the second time in the MMOT Competition, wore a pink custom gown.

“I’ve had this gown for three years and I love it so much I literally want to get married in it,” Bumgarner said.

When Bumgarner first bought the gown, she said, she was not able to wear it because the competition had been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But she did wear it in last year’s competition.

This is McCarter’s third time to compete for the crown and she said she was “super excited” to have won the talent phase of the competition in the first round of preliminary competitions.

“This is my last year to compete, and I just wanted to throw it all out on the stage,” she said, adding she chose to sing “I Am Here” because she had heard is sung during a Miss Mississippi Competition.

McCarter, who is a senior a Victory Christian Academy in Columbus, said she hopes to study music in college.

The second and final round of preliminary competitions will continue tonight at 7:30 p.m.

The final round of competition and crowning will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets are $25 for the preliminary round and $40 for the final day of the competition and are available at the door. For more information, call 601-638-6746.

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.’

More by Terri Cowart