Miss Florida USA Faces

Our Miss Florida USA 2007 Jenna Edwards was the featured celebrity at the second annual ''Light Up the Drive'' evening parade down Ocean Drive on world famous South Beach. The parade took place between Fifth and 15th streets on Ocean Drive right on Miami Beach. Art Deco Weekend celebrated its 30th anniversary along Ocean Drive on Jan. 11-14 with a series of events themed ``East Meets West: Art Deco from Miami to Shanghai.''

Miami Beach meet Shanghai this past weekend as the 30th annual edition of Art Deco Weekend drew visitor’s worldwide. The annual celebration of all things Art Deco, sponsored by the Miami Design Preservation League celebrated an entire weekend. With the theme of “East Meets West: Art Deco from Miami to Shanghai.” The visitors enjoyed a distinctively Asian flavor.

The 2^nd annual parade began Friday night and featured Grand Marshall’s Paul Castranova and Young Ron Brewer from the regional Rock & Roll station Big 106. Ms. Edwards joined ornate floats and Chinese dragon dancers which led the way along Ocean Drive. According to Art Deco Weekend organizers, Shanghai, like Miami Beach, is a gateway city boasting one of the best collections of Art Deco architecture in the world. Other weekend events include films and lectures about Shanghai’s own endangered Art Deco area.

DJ’s Paul Cartranova and Young Ron Brewer

are very popular in the South Florida Market

» Miss Hollywood USA and Miss Hollywood Teen USA contestants visit the beach for a photo shoot

BY EILEEN SOLER/ Special to The Miami Herald

Hollywood beach was a backdrop for beauties during a recent Miss Hollywood USA and Miss Hollywood Teen USA contestant photo shoot. In pairs, in trios and in formations like cheerleaders, the young women tossed luxurious hair, flashed pearly white smiles, arched perfect torsos, and giggled in the surf and sand like daughters of the sea.

''Pageants are mostly fun -- but that's not what is most important,'' said Yazmin Navarro, 22, skipping to the water's edge to pose with a beach ball. Navarro, a kindergarten teacher at Key Biscayne Community School and former Miss Sunset Place USA, said winning a sash and crown means commitment and responsibility. It's a post that comes with a year of community service.

Fifteen young women from eight South Florida cities will vie in personality, swimsuit and evening gown categories for ''Miss'' and ''Miss Teen'' titles at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Hollywood Beach Marriott, 2501 N. Ocean Blvd., and the Hollywood Broadwalk. Winners will advance to the Miss Florida and Miss Florida Teen USA pageants later this year. Miss USA is the preliminary to Miss Universe.

Jules Meyer, a pageant director for the Hollywood Jaycees, which adopted the program in 2003, said last year's Hollywood winners served countless volunteer hours at 40 events. Miss Hollywood USA Teen Krizia Toledo, 18, of Pembroke Pines, and Miss Hollywood USA Rachel Rose, 23, of Miami Beach, worked for several nonprofit groups and programs, including the American Cancer Society, Broward Outreach Center for the homeless, and Lincoln Manor for mentally disabled adults. ''Today's contestants are beautiful, academic achievers, career-focused and are very involved in charitable causes,'' Meyer said.

The eight contestants who turned out for the ocean photo shoot were also cheerful, friendly, team-oriented and super-energized. ''Eventually I want to do theater, maybe some modeling, but for now I just want to meet new friends and help the community,'' said first-time pageant competitor Kayla O'Brien, 15, of Hollywood during lunch on the beachside Broadwalk. Kayla already serves as vice president of the Hollywood Hills High School sophomore class and plays on the school's varsity tennis team.

''Miss'' winners get entry fees valued at $1,750 into the Miss Florida USA competition, ''Miss Teen'' gets a $1,000 college scholarship, and both get prize packages brimming with fashion, beauty, jewelry, and health and fitness gifts.

Meyer said all contestants attended mandatory Pageant University at the Marriott in early January where they learned contest rules, met competitors, received beauty contest tips, and reviewed the do's and don'ts of the pageant world.

''Do stay focused, do be confident, don't be cocky and don't ever forget that the responsibility of the titleholder is to be an ambassador for the town,'' Meyer said.

Navarro said Miss Hollywood USA contestants will not make national headlines for negative reasons, referring to the recent scandals involving semi-nude photos of Miss Nevada Katie Rees and underage drinking by Miss USA Tara Connor.

''No one has to tell us what behavior is inappropriate,'' Navarro said. ``No matter if you represent a city, a state, the USA, the pageant, you make a choice to become a public figure and with that you represent what it is to be a strong woman and a good role model.''

- Kudos to Lindsay Shockey, Miss Broward County USA 2008 who was featured in the December and January issues of Go Riverwalk. Also check Ms. Shockey out modeling at the Ft Lauderdale fashion week January 27th and 28th at Nikki Marina across from the Westin Diplomat. You can also watch it online through a live feed on www.BocaRaton.com. To find out more information about fashion week check out www.ftlmoda.com. Also check out this picture that was in the December issue of Go Riverwalk, great work Lindsay!

» PICTURES & STORIES WANTED!

If you enjoy reading the stories of our Miss Florida USA Family and want us to know what great things are happening either during or after you reign please email us at telair@aol.com. We love touting our sorority of outstanding Florida women. Please send us a paragraph (or two) on your appearances, awards or community service and include pictures. We want you to have all of the support of this great lifestyle we call Miss Florida USA!

» 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!

For this week’s POTW we went back to Hollywood Beach as the delegates for Miss Hollywood USA and Miss Hollywood Teen USA say PEEKABOO! Posing for pictures at Hollywood beach Sunday are beauty pageant contestants, bottom from left, Michelle Twarkins, 16, of Pembroke Pines; Amy Diaz, 22, of Miami Shores; Sarah Callahan, 15, of Fort Lauderdale; middle, Dynora Pierre-Louis, 18, of Davie; Kayla O'Brien, 15, of Hollywood; Rachel Trissel, 14, of Hollywood; top, Yazmin Navarro, 22, of Miami; and Brittany Brooks, 17, of Hollywood. (EILEEN SOLER / FOR THE MIAMI HERALD) having fun and making this weeks Picture of The Week. Congrats!