Ashley Melnick, a 21-year-old Texas Christian University student, claimed the title of Miss Texas 2010 by singing “Circle of Life” at the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant, held earlier this month at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Competing as Miss Fort Worth, Melnick was crowned at Texas Hall on the UTA campus. In Miss Texas pageant preliminary competitions, Melnick won both talent and swimsuit awards. She will be the Lone Star State’s representative at the legendary Miss America Pageant.

The new Miss Texas was named during a week of special activities marking the pageant’s 75th celebration. Dozens of former Miss Texas titleholders performed on stage, and were joined by Phyllis George and Shirley Cothran Barret, two Texans who went on to win the Miss America title.

Named first runner-up was Jordan Johannsen, Miss Irving. Others in the top five were DaNae Couch, Miss Frisco; Kendall Morris, Miss White Settlement; and Cristie Kibler, Miss Arlington.

Also crowned was a new Miss Teen Texas. She is 15-year-old Madison Fuller, who represented Frisco.

For more information, check www.misstexas.org.

Miss Irving, Jordan Johannsen, and Miss Frisco, DaNae Couch, walked away with preliminary awards Tuesday night at the second night of competition for the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant (www.misstexas.org).

Johannsen won for physical fitness in swimsuit, and Couch, who twirls batons, won the talent award during the competition at Texas Hall on the University of Texas at Arlington campus. For Couch, it was the second night in the row to win a preliminary round. She captured the physical fitness award during Monday’s competition. Winning talent Monday night was Miss Fort Worth, Ashley Melnick, a singer.

A third round of preliminaries is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The Miss Teen Texas Scholarship Pageant is being held simultaneously. Preliminary winners for physical fitness were Miss Teen East Texas, Reilly Johannsen, the younger sister of Miss Irving, and Miss Teen Plano, Kaitlyn Wilson. The talent winners included Miss Teen West Texas, vocalist Jordan Sheets, and Miss Teen Ellis County, Kafarra Douglas. 

The Miss Texas 75th Celebration includes a reunion and a black-tie gala Thursday, followed by a brunch Friday. Many events are open to the public. http://esocialworld.com/2010/05/phyllis-george-to-headline-anniversary-celebration/

 The 2010 Miss Texas will be crowned Friday night at the finals at Texas Hall.  She will go on to compete in the Miss America Pageant, the world’s largest provider of scholarships for women.

Bits and pieces from the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant…

Black evening gowns, out. White evening gowns, in.

We all should cheer alot for the contestants who don’t have the big organizations backing them up. Everyone deserves a pep club!

Need judges who know dancing. Looking at their resumes, the judges probably were really good at judging who interviewed well and who handled herself well. But their areas of expertise were education, drama, cosmetics and pageants, and I would love to see one who knew the dance world or music. 

Kristen Blair, new Miss T, has a great set of pipes. Girl can sing. Actually, there were several who knocked it out of the park, vocally. Miss Fort Worth, Faith Bates, and Miss Texarkana, Adrianna Nelson, are two who come to mind.

Gloria Gilbert Barron’s quick wit is razor sharp. Fun emcee. Production numbers were lively. The pageant is a great evening’s entertainment, no matter who wins.

Did they induct anyone this year into the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant Hall of Honor? If they did, I missed it.

Loved the hour of entertainment before Friday’s pageant began. All singing, which was great, but could we add some others? Again, dancing anyone?

Talent comes in all forms–electric guitar, drums, even painting on stage.

Friday’s final pageant was dedicated to the memory of the late B. Don Magness. I missed him last year, though, when he wasn’t there. Seems wrong for him not to be there, but I think he would have wanted the show to go on.

Wish I could walk like those pageant girls do. I want their perfect posture. Where do you learn that? Does charm school still exist? That must be my problem. My mom kept signing me up, and I kept refusing to go. Mom was right. I could have used it.

Sam Haskell III, chairman of the Miss America board, paid a visit to promote his best seller, Promises I Made My Mother. On stage Wednesday night, he said what people around here have been saying for a while. Rebecca Robinson should have been Miss America. He said it loud and clear over a microphone. And he’s right.

Mark July 3 on your 2010 calendar. That’s the night for the Miss Texas 75th anniversary gala. Chairman Marvin Blum is already working on it. Should be great fun.

[caption id="attachment_2324" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Miss North Texas, Kristen Blair"][/caption]

Kira Morris, Miss Harris County, and Kristen Blair, Miss North Texas, won the preliminary competitions of the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant Tuesday night at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Morris was named the winner for “physical fitness in swimsuit, and Blair sang the classical piece Nessun Dorma to capture the talent prize during the second evening of competition at Texas Hall on the UTA campus.. Both are 22 years old and students at the University of North Texas. Dunn, 19, attends Baylor University and won the swimsuit competition. Nelson, a 21-year-old student at Houston Baptist University, took top honors in the talent competition for her vocal performance of “How Great Thou Art.”

This week 37 young women are vying for the Miss Texas title and the chance to go on to January’s Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas. The last preliminary event will be held Wednesday evening, with the finals scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday. The pageant will be broadcast live Friday via a webcast, and details are available at www.misstexas.org.

Monday night, the first night of the pageant, Kathryn Dunn, representing Frisco, and Adrianna Nelson, representing Texarkana, were named preliminary winners. Dunn, 19, attends Baylor University and was awarded the swimsuit honors. Nelson, a 21-year-old student at Houston Baptist University, took home the talent award for her vocal performance of “How Great Thou Art.”

The Miss Teen Texas Pageant is being held simultaneously with the Miss Texas competition. Winning Tuesday evening were Reilly Johannsen, Miss Teen Ellis County, for physical fitness and Micayla Merrifield, for talent by playing My Heart Will Go On on the harp. Monday night preliminary winners for the teen pageant were Miss Teen Frisco, Taylor Lowery, for physical fitness and Miss Teen Plano, Madison Fuller, for talent with her ventriloquism act.

The Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant will crown a successor to Rebecca Robinson, Miss Texas 2008. Robinson, a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Spanish, performed a high-energy tap dance to “Hey Pachuco!” to win the Miss Texas title. Among her many accomplishments this year, she was chosen to sing the National Anthem at The Cotton Bowl and was selected as the subject of a United Way of America video promoting education.

To become Miss Texas, a contestant must first win a local competition within the state. During preliminaries, the competitors are broken into three groups, with each group presenting a different part of the competition for the judges’ review. Those scores will be used to select finalists to compete in Friday’s finals.

The Miss Teen Texas Pageant, a competition that began in 1990, also will crown a new title holder Friday evening. The current Miss Teen Texas is Sydney Capello.

Tickets are available from Central Ticket Office. Check CentralTicketOffice.com.

Preliminary winners will be updated this week at www.eSocialWorld.com.

Miss Texarkana, Adrianna Nelson

Kathryn Dunn, representing Frisco, and Adrianna Nelson, representing Texarkana, were named preliminary winners in the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant Monday night at the University of Texas at Arlington.

The two received the honors after the pageant’s first evening of competition, being held for the first time at Texas Hall on the UTA campus. Dunn, 19, attends Baylor University and won the swimsuit competition. Nelson, a 21-year-old student at Houston Baptist University, took top honors in the talent competition for her vocal performance of “How Great Thou Art.”

They are two of 37 young women vying for the Miss Texas title and the chance to go on to January’s Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas. Preliminary competitions will continue Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, with the finals scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday. The pageant will be broadcast live Friday via a webcast, and details are available at www.misstexas.org.

The Miss Teen Texas Pageant is being held simultaneously with the Miss Texas competition. Preliminary winners for the teen pageant were Miss Teen Frisco, Taylor Lowery, for physical fitness and Miss Teen Plano, Madison Fuller, for talent with her ventriloquism act.

The Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant will crown a successor to Rebecca Robinson, Miss Texas 2008.  Robinson, a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Spanish, performed a high-energy tap dance to “Hey Pachuco!” to win the Miss Texas title. Among her many accomplishments this year, she was chosen to sing the National Anthem at The Cotton Bowl and was selected as the subject of a United Way of America video promoting education.  

To become Miss Texas, a contestant must first win a local competition within the state. During preliminaries, the competitors are broken into three groups, with each group presenting a different part of the competition for the judges’ review. Those scores will be used to select finalists to compete in Friday’s finals.

The Miss Teen Texas Pageant, a competition that began in 1990, also will crown a new title holder Friday evening. The current Miss Teen Texas is Sydney Capello.

Tickets are available from Central Ticket Office. Check CentralTicketOffice.com.

Preliminary winners will be updated this week at www.eSocialWorld.com.

The Dallas Cowboys football team isn’t the only organization making a move to Arlington.

The Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant (MissTexas.org) is pulling up stakes in Fort Worth, a city it’s called home for 46 years, and making the move to Texas Hall at the University of Texas at Arlington. Preliminary competitions are set for 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at UTA, with the final competition set for 7 p.m. Friday.

The new Miss Texas will follow Rebecca Robinson, Miss Texas 2008. The winner will represent the Lone Star State at the Miss America Pageant, which in recent years has moved from its traditional home of Atlantic City, NJ to Las Vegas, NV.

Robinson, a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Spanish, performed a high-energy tap dance to “Hey Pachuco!” to win the Miss Texas title. Among her many accomplishments this year, she was chosen to sing the National Anthem at The Cotton Bowl and was selected as the subject of a United Way of America video promoting education.  

To become Miss Texas, a contestant must first win a local competition. This year contestants will represent 37 areas from acorss the state. During preliminaries, the competitors are broken into three groups, with each group presenting a different part of the competition for the judges’ review. Those scores will be used to select finalists to compete in Friday’s pageant where the new Miss Texas will be selected.

The Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant will be held concurrently with the Miss Teen Texas Pageant, a competition that began in 1990. The current Miss Teen Texas is Sydney Capello.

Tickets are available from Central Ticket Office. Check CentralTicketOffice.com.

Preliminary winners will be updated this week at www.eSocialWorld.com.