» Miss Florida USA Visit’s Miss Florida America

It is always a pleasure to visit our friends at Miss Florida America as this year’s pageant was their best ever. A personal favorite venue “The Dade County Auditorium” on Flagler Street in Miami hosted the 71^st edition of this wonderful tradition. Miss Florida MAO 2004 Jenna Edwards was a wonderful representative and Miss Florida Teen USA alumni and Miss Jacksonville MAO, Candace Cragg, who walked away with the crown, a $15,000 scholarship and a chance to compete in the Miss America pageant.

Cragg, a 21-year-old student at the University of Florida, sang "Vienna" in the talent competition. She was the preliminary talent winner Friday and the preliminary evening-gown winner Thursday. Her platform was "Help Wanted! Calling Youths to Serve." "I actually am still a little shocked," Cragg said. "I feel like this week was just perfect."

Halavin Productions directors Henry & Angie Halavin with Ms. Coleman and Miss Erickson

(Miss Pembroke Pines Teen USA) (left) & Miss Florida USA 2005 Melissa Witek

with Miss Florida America 2005

Ms. Feguson; Ms. Krieger, Miss Anter and Miss Coleman enjoyed a Miss Florida USA dinner before the show.

It was also great to see other Miss Florida USA and Miss Florida Teen USA Alumni compete for the trip to Atlantic City. Mari Wilensky, Miss University of Florida MAO was first runner-up as she was in the Miss Florida Teen USA 2000 Pageant. Our other alumnus was Shenna Howell who was competing as Miss Citrus County. Great job Ladies!

With both the July 4^th weekend and the upcoming Miss Florida USA Pageant the next weekend kept the numbers of preliminary directors and titleholders to a minimum we still had a great pre pageant dinner! Those who joined us for dinner included Lia (Miss South Florida USA) and Robin Anter; Angel Coleman (Miss Homestead/Florida Keys); Amy Ferguson (Miss First Coast USA); Allison Krieger (Miss Naples USA) and Heather (Miss Ft. Myers Teen USA) and Pam Mowry. Then it was off the auditorium for a great evening of pageantry.

Linda Watts; Jennifer Wooten (Miss Winter Park Teen USA) Andrea Schell

(Miss Hollywood USA 2005) and Mrs. Schell Saturday night.

Congratulations to the hard board of Miss Florida America and look for our pageant to step up and sponsor two scholarships next year. One for Miss Florida America and one for Florida’s Perfect Teen, the teen division of Miss America. We are proud of our friendship with this great opportunity of the women of The Sunshine State.

One of the publishers favorite venues hosted Miss Florida America

» 'Pageant girl'
By Janie Nelson / DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Her hair is long and blond. Her eyes are bright blue. Her posture's perfect. Her confidence unshakable. Kimberly Anderson, Miss Tallahassee USA 2005, who competed for the Miss Florida USA title last Saturday, is proud to be a "pageant girl." (Although most contestants are in their 20s, they're still referred to as "girls" in the pageant world.)

"I don't think you have to compromise your seriousness to be in a pageant," said the 23-year-old hair stylist. "People take pageant girls seriously." Samantha Strickland, CEO of Leading Lady Productions and executive producer of the Miss Tallahassee pageant and others, agrees. "It's really a job the girls are interviewing for," she said. "You get a lot of business, political and entertainment contacts." Until a couple of years ago, Anderson said, she never had considered entering a pageant. She was more of an outdoors type. She rode a horse in 24-hour endurance competitions and organized a local chapter of the New Freedom Riders to teach people with disabilities to ride, something she continues to do. "I didn't think of myself as a girlie-girl," she said. That changed when she was working as a waitress at Applebee's while attending Tallahassee Community College. "My boss's wife said, 'You've got to do this,'" Anderson said. Her first two trips down the runway didn't pan out. She failed to place in last year's Miss Tallahassee and Miss Panhandle competitions. But she was hooked. "I learned a lot the interview part of the pageant accounts for 40 percent of the score. And this is where Anderson has an edge, according to Strickland. "She is an amazing (interview), as well as being beautiful," said Strickland, whose company is sending five other contestants to the state pageant in Hollywood. But Strickland doesn't discount the beauty part - swimsuit and evening gown competitions round out the event - and she doesn't see it as sexual exploitation. "Pageant girls represent young women of today," she said. "It's important in this day (considering the problems of obesity) to show that physical fitness is very important." That's another plus for Anderson, who has always led an active life. She has been a competitive cheerleader and aerobic dancer in addition to her horseback endurance races. A local 'girl', Anderson grew up in Tallahassee and Ocala, bouncing back and forth between her divorced parents. For a time, she went to high school in Ocala, where she was a cheerleader, but she moved back to Tallahassee and graduated from Lincoln High School in 2000. She is the granddaughter of the late William and Olga DuBey, who for years owned DuBey's Bookstore on Monroe Street and a statewide chain of bookstores. "We got lots of books," Anderson said of herself and her older sister, Michelle. "'The Velveteen Rabbit' was my favorite book growing up." She's now a John Grisham fan. Anderson currently works part time as a hair stylist at Chelsea Salon & Spa on Market Street and plans to enter Flagler College in the fall for a degree in business administration. She hopes one day to own a chain of salons. Her co-workers at Chelsea's are some of her biggest fans. "Everybody likes to brag on her," said Mary Fannon, owner of Chelsea. "She's a real sweetheart and a very hard worker." Comments like that would once have made her uncomfortable, Anderson said. But not since she has jumped on the pageant train. "I was always second-guessing myself. It was hard to take a compliment," she said. "There's something to be said (for) loving yourself first. Then other people can love you."

»Kudos & Did You Knows:

- Kudos to Miss Palm Beach County Teen USA Amber Garrod who was a special guest at the Palm Beach Zoo for an official appearance this past Saturday. Pageant Director Linda DiGiacomo took some photo ops and Miss Garrod took part in promotional pre-tapings for next year's pageant!! Good job Amber!

- Kudos to the entire team of Contestant Directors; Television Crew; Westin Diplomat staff; Bailey Concert Hall staff; Preliminary Pageant Directors; the amazing Miss Florida USA delegates and our pageant sponsors who all came together to present our best state pageant ever! Yeah Team!!!!

It takes a village to make a Miss Florida USA! And this is only half of the crew.....

The finalists for Miss Florida USA 2006

- Kudos to Miss Florida USA 1998 Jamie Converse Estrada; Miss Florida USA 2000 Kristen Beall; Miss Florida USA 2002 Shannon Ford and Miss Florida USA 2003 Carrie Mewha who attended state this year to root on sister queen Melissa Witek Miss Florida USA 2005 who passed on the title to the newest member of this exclusive sorority Cristen Duren; Miss Florida USA 2006! Did you know Ms. Duren is the only Miss Florida Teen USA to win the Miss Florida USA title?

»Pageant News Wanted!

Are you a titleholder or at large delegate who is making appearances or doing good things in the community? We would love to tell all of the Miss Florida USA Family your story. Send pictures and updates to telair@aol.com as we feature everything Miss Florida USA on Friday’s at Faces & Places.

»Alumni News Wanted!

If you know of any Miss Florida USA alumni in the news please drop us an email to feature them in future articles. Email all info to info@missfloridausa.com! Until next week here to good pageantry!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK!

It’s only once a year we get to feature the crowning of our Miss Florida USA,

so in her exuberance we present Cristen Duren; Miss Florida USA 2006!

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