Sunday, June 29, 2008

Miss Anytown, USA




We had the exciting privelege of attending a local Miss pageant for our town. This was supposed to be our date but BD is sick--too sick to take care of all the kids--so I brought them along--minus Adrie--I draw the line at 3yr olds after bedtime.


We enjoyed 2 hours entertainment which included a, dancing cowgirl, prima ballerina, lots of singing with a couple of piano numbers sprinkled in there, sparkles, sequins, and some emcee jokes that Kate found very funny. (What do you find inside a clean nose? A fingerprint) The third hour was more about enduring--Brynn had fallen asleep on me and in a quiet part of the program she woke up in a stupor and said quite loudly, "Can I go home now?"

I had to nurse Cannon to sleep as discreetly as I could in a sea of audience members. We were relieved to finally hear the winner: the shortest of them all --a cute little teensie thing that played the piano well whose platform was about teens adopting a grandparent in the community.


We try to hit these every few years. Mainly, I find them fascinating because this is not something available to the average city girl. It's a unique opportunity and novelty to be had in a small town . Also, I admire the girls that get up there and give there all to be judged in front of the whole community! That takes some serious guts.


I was way too self-conscious as a teenager. Even now it makes me queasy with fear thinking about having to do all that on stage? A dozen scenarios would go through my head: What if I panic and run off stage? What if I go blank and start speaking jibberish during the interview segment? What if my shaky legs collapse under me and I fall in a heap of sparkly evening gown material. What if people start throwing tomatoes at me and I break out in hives? What if the last words I hear are, "Does anyone know CPR?"



Okay, so putting all fear and reality aside indulge with me for a moment. What if you lived in Anytown USA as a teenage girl vying for that coveted Miss title and a scholarship: what would your platform be? your talent? what would you wear if your stomach wasn't sagging from 4 kids?...


Talent: wearing performance black I would have to play the cello. Thank goodness I have that 'cause I certainly can't sing or dance--Besides, anything other than singing is a welcome relief to the audience and I'm sure the judges.


Casual dress: a flirty skirt, dangly sparkly necklace, flower in my hair, and espadrilles that would give my legs some extra height. Kelly green


Evening Gown: Something elegant, flowing, in rich red. It would't be too hot to wear in the 4th of July parade.


How 'bout this for a winning platform: tutoring immigrant children and their families in English.

I'd have to do my research first to see if we have any of those around here.


Let's hear it.

3 comments:

TisforTonya said...

Talent: As a teenager I still could have pulled off playing my violin, but I might have sung... hmm probably the violin, it was less "revealing" a talent and I wasn't exactly shy, but I was a little reserved still (as long as we're not talking hair-dos).
Casual Dress: Some long funky and flowing lightweight skirt with the highest heels I could possibly walk in underneath - with a simple solid colored top in a beautiful shade of russet orange.
Evening Gown: We are so going with black here - something with Audrey Hepburn simplicity and elegance (do I obsess much), with a little flirty flare at the knee
Platform: ugh... Now I'd have to go with healthy clean entertainment for youngsters in our community.
Do we get a scholarship if we win???

cold cocoa said...

Fun idea! I too was a lot self-conscious but now that I am old I think "what did I have to lose??" Hopefully I can teach my kids to go for all the fun stuff.

Anyway, this is hard.
Talent: You know- I think I would read a poem. One that would make the audience cry. If not that, I would be an awesome dancer because I wasn't self-conscious and wouldn't have quit dance lessons for that reason alone!
Casual dress: bright knee-length dress, colorful and fun. Tall sandals.
Evening: Long flowing sophisticated, black with a bright colored belt and necklace.
Platform: kids exercise programs, parent training on how to help kids eat better.

Megz said...

I love hometown pageants. There is no better entertainment around and I am always so amazed that people can put themselves out there like that.
My talent would be piano--and I'd pick a really hard piece that I practiced for a whole year before performing. And I'd wear lots of skin tight sequin gowns--because that is what always wins and my platform would be illiteracy since I could hurry and go read to lots of illiterate kids and call it good.