Miss Florida USA Faces

It’s always fun to see our friends in and around Jacksonville. A lovely day greeted us at The University of North Florida Performing Arts Center after a morning drive up I-95. Greeting us was Pageant Director Don Steer and his group of volunteers including Barbara Whitehead; Kelly Whitehead-Gillis and --- Wilensky as the girls were inside rehearsing.

As we entered the theater there were our reigning Miss Jacksonville USA Sherri Leaf and Miss Jacksonville Teen USA Chelsea Rhoden rocking the microphones as the afternoon’s hostesses. Ms. Whitehead-Gillis had the girls in full rehearsal as some of the delegates were past titleholders mixed in along several new contestants to The Miss Florida USA family. After an afternoon of rehearsals it was time to start the show!

Ms. Chandler with Miss Florida America and former Miss Florida Teen USA finalist Mari Wilensky (left)
The Volusia County team was in the house! (right)

Ms. Leaf and Miss Rhoden with Ms. Whitehead-Gillis and Mrs. Whitehead during rehearsal Saturday afternoon

In attendance included Miss Daytona USA 2007 Ashley Panaggio, Miss Volusia County USA 2007 Amanda Zitzman and Miss Florida America and Miss Florida Teen USA first runner-up Mari Wilensky. Also Brittany and Shannon Sexton, Miss First Coast 2006 and River City Teen 2005 attended to show their support. It was great having a group tiara picture at the end of the afternoon!

After an exciting weekend in Jacksonville it’s time to head west on I-10 to Tallahassee as it’s Miss Tallahassee USA weekend! We look forward to making our second North Florida appearance and seeing our Panhandle friends on Saturday. Until then enjoy the pictures!

Miss Carnaval Miami USA 2007 and Miss Florida Teen USA Alumni Nathalie Pozo accepts

With a rare Wednesday night start it was off to The Blue Lagoon neighborhood of Miami for the 25^th annual Miss Carnaval Miami USA Pageant. This unofficial preliminary has had a long history of titleholders who have done well in Miss Florida USA including Miss Florida USA 1996 Idalmis Vidal. This years reigning Miss Canrnaval Miami USA Nathalie Pozo will represent the largest Hispanic event in the United States as The World Famous Calle Ocho street festival is the highlight of this great event.

Yazmin Navarro Miss Sunset Place USA 2007 and Miss Caranaval Miami USA 2006 with one of

the evenings pageant directors (left)The new Miss Carnaval Miami with Brigitte Rodriguez,

The Miami Dade Airport Hilton saw a sold out audience root on twenty-seven delegates competing for the year long title. Among the Miss Florida USA family in attendance included past Miss Carnaval USA titleholders Ivis Guerra; Claudia Santiano; Yazmin Navaro and Noelle Iglesias. Also in attendance were Halavin Productions Director Angie and Henry Halavin and Miss Hispanidad USA 2005 and Miss Florida USA 2007 delegate Brigitte Gonzalez. Competing in the pageant included Miss Florida Teen USA finalist Katherine Cue and Miss South Florida USA contestant Elizabeth Maus.

Halavin Productions Director Angie Halavin and Miss Pembroke Pines USA 2006 & former Miss Carnaval Claudia Santiano compare

notes during a break in the action (left) Miss Florida Teen USA 2004 finalist Katherine Cue before evening gowns (center)
Carnaval titleholders and Miss Florida USA Alumni Ivis Guerra and Melissa Hernandez share a photo op! (right)

The evening was not just a pageant but the night ended with a lovely dinner/reception that ended the month long event with a great sendoff. I was lucky to dine with several past Miss Carnaval Miami Titleholders and it was really great to see and feel the sisterhood of this traditional event. Big congratulations goes to The Little Havana Jaycees and they’re hard working volunteers who pulled off this great evening of culture and pageantry. As always here are some pictures as if you were in the audience, enjoy!

Based on her month-long test flight at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Miami attorney and Miss Florida USA finalist & Volunteer Lorraine Brennan O'Neil believes she may have discovered a business model that could take off all over the country. In an age of instant oil changes, drive-through dry cleaners, and camera phones that can transmit an image across the country in seconds, O'Neil is providing the equivalent of an instant manicure to travelers who may have a brief layover at the airport.

Erica Carroll, manager of 10 Minute Manicure at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky

International Airport, says most customers are business travelers who are "killing time"

Her first 10 Minute Manicure shop in the country opened Jan. 12 in Delta's Terminal B at the airport and, so far, the response has been enthusiastic. "In the first month we did about 1,000 manicures, and I'm told that this is the slow time of the year at the airport after the holidays," O'Neil said.

"I think the customer response has been great. A lot of airports don't provide services that cater to the traveling professional. And whether they are female or male, if they can take something off their plate on a business trip, then they don't have to take an hour away from their family when they're at home," she said.

O'Neil said she's now in discussions with airports and other high-traffic locations all over the country to provide 10 Minute Manicure service. She wouldn't provide any specifics other to say that the next opening will be in downtown Miami, where she will open her second shop inside of a major office complex in mid-March.

The company opened its first shop in Cincinnati for a variety of reasons, including the airport's status as a busy Delta hub. She also said that airport management seemed to be receptive to her new idea. David Kellerman, retail manager at the airport, said the company had contacted the airport last May with a proposal that the airport board eventually sanctioned as a service that might make a stop in Cincinnati more pleasant for travelers.

"It was something that was never asked about before, and we thought it would fill a niche," Kellerman said. "It was something that we thought might be pleasing to passengers, giving them another service that they can really use." One of the factors that O'Neil and her business partners weighed before launching the business was the dramatic shift in the demographics of today's business traveler. Back in the 1970s, about 1 percent of the people who traveled on business were women compared to about 50 percent of the business travelers today, the company said.

Erica Carroll, who manages the salon at the airport, pointed out that 10 Minute Manicure is "men friendly," and about 45 percent of the customers are men. Although the overwhelming majority of the customers are "walk-ins" killing time between a flight, some do call ahead. "Some people (who have noticed the salon) are calling in to get appointments because they know they're going to be here waiting for a flight," said Carroll, who has a staff of seven that works seven days a week. The store's primary service - the 10-minute manicure - costs $15 while an extended 20-minute service is $20. A half-hour of service is $30.

» 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!

Our committee just loved this picture from last weeks Miss Jacksonville USA Pageant.

Ms. Tara Chandler gives everyone a thumbs up as she enjoys here crowning moment.

Congratulations Ms. Chandler you are the recipient of The Picture of The Week!