More from Miss Miami Valley…

More Photos:

Photos courtesy of the lovely Amy Allen (click each to enlarge).

[Above on the Left: Lauren Hogan, Sophia Davis, Mellissa Marksberry, Samantha Maxwell and Nanciann Strosnider; Above on the Right: Nicole Budzinski, Ashley Brown, Ashley Hartmen, Amy Allen, Allison Bencar, Emily Cousino, Lauren Hogan, Samantha Maxwell and Amee Everman.]














[Above on the Left: Sophia and Mellissa; Above on the Right: Ashley H. and Amy A.]

The Contestants:

#1. Amee Everman; Amee sang “Till There Was You” from The Music Man. She advocates Youth Self Esteem.
#2. Emily Cousino; Emily sang the jazzy number, “Halleluiah, I Love Him,” her platform is Heart Start Educations.
#3. Ashley Brown; Ashley sang “I Am Changing” from Dream Girls.” She promotes Arts Education.
#4. Nanciann Strosnider; Nanciann sang “Once Upon A Time” from Brooklyn; her platform is Arts Education.
#5. Samantha Maxwell; Samantha sang the Alicia Keys ballad, “If I Ain’t Got You.” Her platform is Arts Education.
#6. Amy Allen; Amy sang “I’ll Forget You” from The Scarlet Pimpernel; she works with Habitat for Humanity.
#7. Sophia Davis; Sophia performed a jazz dance to “Hit Me with a Hot Note.” Her platform is the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters organization.
#8. Mellissa Marksberry; Mellissa sang “Alexander’s Ragtime Band;” she advocates Domestic Violence Prevention and Awareness.
#9. Ashley Hartman; Ashley performed a lyrical dance to “How Does it Feel” by Avril Lavigne. Her platform is Internet Safety Education.
#10. Nicole Budzinski; Nicole performed a pom pom routine to a music medley titled “Girls, Girls, Girls;” she promotes Childhood Safety.
#11. Allison Bencar; Allison performed “Tonight” from West Side Story as Maria. Her platform is Breast Cancer Awareness.
#12. Lauren Hogan; Lauren sang “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady; she advocates positive decision making through her platform, “Risky Business.”

The Show

It was an absolutely miserable night! Miss Miami Valley is held during the Montgomery County Fair, outside, under a tent. The past three years it’s been ridiculously hot; this year it was cold, windy and rainy. I’m sure all the contestants were scored higher than normal in swimsuit, out of pure sympathy! I guess it must not have been that bad onstage, because every single one of the contestants were noticeably longwinded in answering their onstage questions. Nonetheless, it was a very close competition, and I try not to say that too often, as it becomes cliché.

As for the production, all the entertaining and emceeing was done by Miss Ohio Melanie Murphy (the first Miss Miami Valley to win the state crown) and E.D. Ronda Morris’ daughter, Leslie. Leslie is a former titleholder and aspiring country artist, whose married name I can’t recall… Melanie gave a heartfelt thank you to Ronda and spoke about receiving the keys to the city of Dayton; the mayor named Friday September 1 Miss Ohio Melanie Murphy Day!

[In the photo below, Amy Nicole and Lauren take in the charm of the fair by posing in front of live wild animals. Click to enlarge.]