First night of pageant names five prize winners

Preliminary competition of the Miss Hospitality Pageant kicked off Friday night at the Saenger Theater with five contestants already being recognized for their achievements.

Erin Morgan of Laurel, Emily Gruzinskas of Bay St. Louis and Taylor White of Magee won for best speeches, which they gave to the judges on Friday morning, and Greene County’s Marissa Landon and Marion County’s Sarah Hibley were recognized for the number of advertisements they sold in the pageant programs. They both received $200 gift cards to the Barnes & Noble location at the University of Southern Mississippi.

“Usually we only give out one award for the ad sales, but this year two girls really just went above and beyond,” said Jennifer Parsons, Miss Hospitality coordinator.

Parsons said it is not uncommon for the contestants recognized for their speeches to do well overall by the end of the pageant.

The pageant started off with a dance number from students of the On Your Toes Dance Studio in Petal. Then the contestants all walked onstage and presented themselves in costumes matching the pageant’s theme, “A Moment to Celebrate,” reflecting a holiday.

After that, the women changed into black cocktail dresses to present 20-second commercials about the cities and counties they are representing. With the focus of the pageant being tourism, each contestant had to know what makes their slice of Mississippi so unique and appealing to others.

Then followed the evening gown competition, which allows the contestants to show off their grace and poise.

The emcees for the night were Mary Lacy Montgomery Sabin and Chuck Steelman.

Sabin held the Miss Hospitality title in 1997 and was the last winner to be crowned in Starkville before the pageant moved to Hattiesburg. Steelman served as judge of the pageant in 1998 and 2001, and has served as emcee since 2002.

University of Southern Mississippi senior Clay Gatlin provided entertainment during the dance numbers with live vocal performances.

“Clay has such a wonderful voice and he really has been so great during this whole process,” said Parsons. “And we are so happy to have Mary and Chuck with us this year. They really work well with reach other.”

Friday was a long day for the contestants, with the day starting with the speech competition. Each contestant was given 90 seconds to present an original speech to the judges on the topic of promoting Mississippi to out-of-state visitors.

After that, the contestants visited the Hattiesburg Zoo for lunch and an autograph party, where many friends and family came to give the women well wishes before the start of the pageant.

“We are all excited for Alexis,” said Tara Melendez, mother of Jones County’s Alexis Melendez. “I’ve been talking to her all week and she is just so happy about all of the friendships she has made that she can carry all through college and just all of the experiences she’s gained from this week.”

The top 10 and top five contestants will be announced at the start of tonight’s finals, and the contestants who advance have even more to worry about.

“Those that advance to the top 10 will also have to answer an onstage question presented to them,” Parsons said. “Then the top five is announced and they have to answer another onstage question before the final results are announced.”

If you go

•What: Miss Hospitality Pageant

•When: 8-10 p.m. today and Saturday

•Where: Saenger Theater

•Tickets: $17.50-$22.50 or packages available for both nights. Call Saenger Theater at (601) 584-4888.