PAGEANT WEEK COVERAGE: Miss Illinois pageant constantly evolving By Melynda Findlay Daily Herald Staff Writer It takes much, much more than just a pretty face to be Miss Illinois. It takes a new definition of beauty that includes brains, talent, a commitment to service, strength of character, and most importantly, the willingness to develop a voice and use it to promote important social issues, says the pageant's executive director, Fran Skinner-Lewis. "That's what Miss Illinois and Miss America are all about," Skinner-Lewis said. "There is a lot of beauty in the pageant, but it's not one-dimensional. It evolves constantly with the generation that's competing." Preliminary rounds are at 8 p.m. today through Thursday at Drury Lane Theater in Oakbrook Terrace. Oakbrook Terrace is more than happy to host the pageant, as it has since 1995. "It's something that we're really proud of," said Lori Dvorak, special events coordinator for the city. "It's great to give money to a project that gives the money back to the young women to further their education." And the Miss Illinois Scholarship pageant is more than glad to be there. "I would hope that every city in American could capture the Oakbrook Terrace spirit," Skinner-Lewis said. "They love their community. They understand that they have an obligation to connect with whatever programs they support, and their spirit in supporting education, scholarship and women as leaders, every community should follow their lead." Thirty-five women from all over the state will compete for the coveted title, millions of dollars in scholarships, and what Skinner-Lewis calls "the job of a lifetime." The top ten finishers in preliminary rounds will be announced Friday night, and the top five scorers in the finals will advance to a Q&A with judges, surprise interviewers, and perhaps the toughest questioners of all - a group of five pre-teen girls who attend a youth mentoring summit that week. The lucky lady who wins the crown will spend the next year promoting her platform through as many as three or four appearances per day, and traveling as many as 5,000 or 6,000 miles per month. While many of the women's platforms are serious topics - from organ and tissue donation to protecting watersheds - that doesn't mean the pageant doesn't have its lighter moments. "There's plenty of fun, too, because we try not to take ourselves too seriously," Skinner-Lewis said. When they aren't competing, contestants will be rehearsing their talents, preparing production numbers, and just doing the female bonding thing. "They're all going through this together," Skinner-Lewis said. "They have inside jokes, share stories about their boyfriends, and there's lots of 'Dear Abby' advice in the dressing room. They learn how to support each other and step outside themselves, but they build friendships that last a lifetime." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FORWARDED STORY ABOVE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit Suburban Chicago's Information Source at http://www.dailyherald.com Site Designed & Maintained by |
CONGRATULATIONS MISS ILLINOIS 2002 |
THE TOP TEN: L to R: Miss NW Suburbs Meganne Britton, Miss Land of Lincoln Erika Harold, Miss Springfield Alexandra Harold, Miss Tinley Park Michelle LaGroue, Miss Chicago Jodi Kurtze, Miss Southern Ashley Hatfield, Miss Heart of Illinois Valerie Milam, Miss Capitol City Jaime Riewerts, Miss DuPage Co. Tobin Finwall, & Miss NE Suburbs Deanna Riddle |
PAGEANT WEEK COVERAGE: Miss Illinois pageant constantly evolving By Melynda Findlay Daily Herald Staff Writer It takes much, much more than just a pretty face to be Miss Illinois. It takes a new definition of beauty that includes brains, talent, a commitment to service, strength of character, and most importantly, the willingness to develop a voice and use it to promote important social issues, says the pageant's executive director, Fran Skinner-Lewis. "That's what Miss Illinois and Miss America are all about," Skinner-Lewis said. "There is a lot of beauty in the pageant, but it's not one-dimensional. It evolves constantly with the generation that's competing." Preliminary rounds are at 8 p.m. today through Thursday at Drury Lane Theater in Oakbrook Terrace. Oakbrook Terrace is more than happy to host the pageant, as it has since 1995. "It's something that we're really proud of," said Lori Dvorak, special events coordinator for the city. "It's great to give money to a project that gives the money back to the young women to further their education." And the Miss Illinois Scholarship pageant is more than glad to be there. "I would hope that every city in American could capture the Oakbrook Terrace spirit," Skinner-Lewis said. "They love their community. They understand that they have an obligation to connect with whatever programs they support, and their spirit in supporting education, scholarship and women as leaders, every community should follow their lead." Thirty-five women from all over the state will compete for the coveted title, millions of dollars in scholarships, and what Skinner-Lewis calls "the job of a lifetime." The top ten finishers in preliminary rounds will be announced Friday night, and the top five scorers in the finals will advance to a Q&A with judges, surprise interviewers, and perhaps the toughest questioners of all - a group of five pre-teen girls who attend a youth mentoring summit that week. The lucky lady who wins the crown will spend the next year promoting her platform through as many as three or four appearances per day, and traveling as many as 5,000 or 6,000 miles per month. While many of the women's platforms are serious topics - from organ and tissue donation to protecting watersheds - that doesn't mean the pageant doesn't have its lighter moments. "There's plenty of fun, too, because we try not to take ourselves too seriously," Skinner-Lewis said. When they aren't competing, contestants will be rehearsing their talents, preparing production numbers, and just doing the female bonding thing. "They're all going through this together," Skinner-Lewis said. "They have inside jokes, share stories about their boyfriends, and there's lots of 'Dear Abby' advice in the dressing room. They learn how to support each other and step outside themselves, but they build friendships that last a lifetime." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FORWARDED STORY ABOVE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit Suburban Chicago's Information Source at http://www.dailyherald.com Site Designed & Maintained by |
Photo Credits for following pages: Daryl Schabinger Lisa Marie Grethey Suzie Foote Aimee Fuller |
PRELIMINARY AWARD WINNERS: L to R: Miss Central Illinois Bethany Von Behren (Swimsuit), Miss Blue & Orange Michelle Liggett (Swimsuit), Miss DuPage County Tobin Finwall (Swimsuit) Miss Tinley Park Michelle LaGroue (Talent), Miss NE Suburbs Deanna Riddle (Talent), Miss Heart of Illinois Valerie Milam (Talent), Miss Miss Land of Lincoln Erika Harold (Talent) |
Photo Credit: LISA MARIE GRETHEY |
THE TOP FIVE Third Runner-Up Alexandra Harold (Miss Springfield), 1st Runner-Up Michelle LaGroue ( Miss Tinley Park) , MISS ILLINOIS ERIKA HAROLD (Miss Land of Lincoln, 2nd Runner-Up Deanna Riddle (Miss NE Suburbs), 4th Runner-Up Tobin Finwall (Miss DuPage County) |
