Miss Vicksburg and Miss Key to South competition dates set

Published 3:48 pm Monday, November 13, 2023

: Maddie Snow, second from left, and Morgan Nelson, third from left, smile after being crowned Miss Vicksburg's Outstanding Teen and Miss Vicksburg, respectively. Also pictured with Snow and Nelson are Amanda Harris and Racheal Hollowell. The two women serve as the local directors for the competitions. (Photo Submitted)

Local preliminary competitions for the Miss Mississippi Competition are held throughout the state with the winners of each advancing on to the state competition. On Dec. 30, the final two preliminary competitions — Miss Vicksburg and Miss Key to the South — will be held in the River City.

Amanda Harris, who serves as the co-director for both competitions along with Rachael Hollowell, said women born from 1996 to 2006 are eligible to compete.

The competitions will be held at 3 p.m. Dec. 30 at the Parkside Playhouse Theatre, 101 Iowa Ave.

Harris said the Miss Vicksburg competition is a “closed pageant,” meaning contestants must either live, work, or attend school in Warren, Claiborne, Issaquena or Sharkey counties.

“Miss Key to the South is open to anyone living in Mississippi,” she said.

People interested in learning more about the competition and how to compete are asked to visit www.miss-mississippi.com/how-to-compete.html.

Harris said the four-step registration process can be found at the bottom of the website page.

There is no deadline to register for the Miss Vicksburg or Miss Key to the South competitions, Harris said. However, all contestants are required to wear the Rebel X Miss America Collab Red Collection fitness outfit.

This fitness gear, Harris said, is available at rebelathletic.com/collections/curated-styles-for-miss-america-organization, and she said orders have been taking up to two weeks for delivery, which is why she is urging those interested in competing to not delay.

Harris said if anyone interested in competing needs more information, call 601-618-0070.

“They can always call me if they have any questions,” she said.

Miss Mississippi Teen Competition

In years past, preliminary competitions for Miss Mississippi Teen have coincided with the preliminary competitions for the Miss Mississippi competition, but this year, there will be no teen preliminary competitions.

Vice-chairman and executive director of the Miss Mississippi Teen competition Winky Freeman said young ladies vying for the title are eligible by just signing up.

“We are doing all at-large contestants,” Freeman said, adding, this has been done in past years.

“We cleared it with Miss America to go with all at-large contestants for the teen pageant and I think we have 15 or 16 signed up so far,” Freeman said.

For those interested in competing in the Miss Mississippi Teen Competition, visit www.miss-mississippi.com/how-to-compete-teen.html.

Miss America

The 2024 Miss America Competition and Miss America’s Teen Competition, where Miss Mississippi Vivian O’Neal and Miss Mississippi’s Teen Nataleigh Nix will compete for their respective national titles, will be held in conjunction this year.

Both competitions will be held Jan. 6 through 14 at the Walt Disney Theatre in Orlando, Fla.

The final Miss America’s Teen Competition will be held on Jan. 13, and the final Miss America Competition will be held on Jan. 14.

Apart from raising the age limits for women competing for the Miss America title to between 18 and 28, the 2024 competition under new CEO Robin Ross-Fleming will also see other changes.

Since doing away with the swimsuit competition in 2018, there will be a segment of competition that focuses on health and fitness. Contestants, however, will not be judged based on their physical appearance.

According to pageantcircle.com, Fleming said, “No score will be given on appearance; the health and fitness segment is to bring awareness to women’s health issues and give a platform to women to inspire and inform all women on best health practices.”

Also new for contestants without a performing arts background who are vying for either the Miss America’s Teen or Miss America title: contestants will have the option of presenting a speech as their talent.

The 90-second “HER Story” will focus on inspiring, captivating and entertaining on stage.

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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