Miss International Dogwood Festival Pageant Is Saturday

  • Friday, January 25, 2013
  • Wendy King

Miss Tennessee Chandler Lawson will make her first post-Miss America appearance on Saturday night when she returns to her alma mater of Tullahoma High School to emcee The Miss International Dogwood Festival Pageant.

Thirteen Miss and eight Outstanding Teen contestants will be vying for the titles when the pageant begins at 8 ET/7 CT.  The winners will be succeeding the 2012 titleholders Genevieve Allen and Courtney Miller respectively and also advance to the state competitions.  Tennessee’s Outstanding Teen takes place in March and the Miss Tennessee finals are in June.

Ms. Lawson celebrated her 23rd birthday on Jan. 12, by being the fourth Miss Tennessee in the last five years to finish in the Miss America Top 10 winning $9,000 in scholarships.  The incoming University of Tennessee Law School student and UTC graduate was also the first Miss Tennessee to finish in the top three for the coveted Quality of Life Award as she was named second runner-up for exceptional community service.  The former Miss Chattanooga started the weekend feeding program 5 Loaves 4 Kids during her junior year at Tullahoma which has provided over 50,000 meals for low income students.

Ms. Lawson accomplished another Tennessee first when she was presented with the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Medal for volunteerism, physical fitness and social skills. Tennessee State Senator Janice Bowling (R) will be making a special presentation to Ms. Lawson during the pageant.

The Dogwood pageant is in its second year and the titleholders will also preside over May’s International Dogwood Festival in Winchester.  The pageant was originally slated to be held at Franklin County High School but due to a scheduling conflict the event was relocated to Tullahoma.

Miss Contestants:

Kasi Argo – Grundy County High School

Vocal, “Colors of the Wind”

Platform – Down Syndrome

 

Erin Nicole Bell – Moore County High School

Spanish Vocal, “Como Le Flor”

Platform—Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

 

Kelsie Hardin – Huntland High School

Dance, “ It’s Tricky”

Platform –Safety in Schools

 

Melanie Rush – Warren County High School

Dance

Platform –Alzheimer’s Awareness

 

Teddy Robert – Belmont University

Vocal, “Hurts So Bad” 

Platform—Your Own Version of Cool - Good examples to our Youth within Entertainment Industry

 

Meghan Pittman – Coffee County Central High School

Dance, “Bullet”

Platform – Sarah Spreads the Kaylan Foundation

 

Catherine Chappell – Motlow State Community College

Vocal, “Reflection”

Platform— 5 Loaves 4 Kids

 

Farrar Ford – Tullahoma High School

Vocal, “Rolling In the Deep”

Platform - Dancing for Downs

 

Rachel Robinson – Franklin County High School

Vocal, “Wind Beneath My Wings”

Platform-Warm Hearts for Warm Homes

 

Angel Garrett – Motlow State Community College

Vocal, “Greatest Love of All”

Platform - A Voice for the Children

 

Camille Garner – Tennessee Tech University

Piano, “Clocks”

Platform - America’s Tooth Fairy

 

Kaitlin Lawrence – Warren County High School

Dance, “Shawty Get Loose Lil Mama”

Platform-Be Brave Anti-Bullying Campaign

 

Abbey Blake – Louisiana Tech University

Vocal, “Fix You”

Platform - Enchanted Entertainment - Finding the Princess Inside

 

 

Outstanding Teen Contestants:

 

 

Kayla Smith – Franklin County High School

Dance, “I Wanna Be a Rockette”

Platform - Alzheimer’s Disease

 

Victoria Neal- Huntland High School

Vocal, “Colors of the Wind”

Platform - Pancreatic Cancer Awareness

 

Jenetta Wright-  North Middle School

Dance, “Sail”

Platform - Stop the Hate

 

Madison Rhoton-  South Middle School

Dance, “The Way You Make Me Feel”

Platform-Raising Bullying Awareness in Schools

 

Sarah Pittman – Coffee County High School

Dance, “Circus”

Platform - 5 Loaves 4 Kids

 

Kelsey Lawrence-Warren County High School

Dance, “Turning Tables”

Platform - Breast Cancer Awareness

 

Mica Willis – Coffee County High School

Tribal Fusion Dance, “Death by Blonde”

Platform – FEAST: Farm, Education & Awareness for a Secure Tennessee

 

Andrea Fisher-Coffee County High School

Hula Hoop, “Yea 3 Times”

Platform - Victory Junction Gang

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