Alysa Olree named Miss Onaway 2007
To immediately set the record straight, so everyone pronounces the new queen?s first name properly, Miss Onaway 2007?s first name is pronounced, A (soft ?A) ? Lisa. Alysa Kavida Olree was crowned this year?s new Miss Onaway. She succeeds Chelsea Kent, and will reign over the Fourth of July festivities, as well as represent Onaway at other events. She also wins a $1,250 scholarship.
All seven young ladies in this year?s competition held hands as each award winner was announced by pageant director Kymberli Wregglesworth, who also served as mistress of ceremonies.
When the moment everyone had waited two weeks for came, Olree?s name was announced. She also took the evening gown competition, the neck-and-neck battle for ticket sales, and a new award called Miss Photogenic.
Olree, the daughter of Doug and Shelley Olree, in those heart-thumping final moments thought either Samantha Penfold or Chelsea Enos was going to receive the crown from Kent, who passed out the trophies, sashes, and crowns.
NEITHER OLREE, her fellow contestants, nor family or friends could have predicted what the final decision of the judges was going to be.
There were plenty of surprises at the end, as Miranda Collins and Penfold will share first runner-up honors. They both win $250 schoalrships.
Second runner-up was Wendy Norman, a 2006 Miss Onaway contestant. She received a trophy, crown, and a sash.
Collins won the talent portion of the contest, while Chelsea Enos was named Miss Congeniality.
What was not a surprise was the reaction of the new queen. ?I think it is awesome,? said Olree. ?I can?t wait to go out to other pageants.? She was nervous before her talent competition, as well as the dreaded mystery question, but other than that she was able to keep her nerves in check.
When asked what area of her performance she shined at most, whether it was the opening number, talent, personal interview, or evening gown, she said, ?I don?t see anywhere that I was better than anyone else.?
Her dad Doug said, ?She (Alysa) had a great time with the entire pageant, so I was really impressed the way she carried herself. It did not matter which way (the final decision) went.?
THE SHOW started promptly at 7:30 p.m. with an opening dance number to ?Dreamgirls? by Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen. Following the performance, Wregglesworth presented a slide of pictures and songs, showing the girls when they were young all the way to the recent photo shoot for the pageant.
There was a slight glitch with the projector with a bulb needing to be replaced, but the two minutes must have seemed longer than it really was, as the show momentarily was stalled.
After introducing the judges, two of whom cancelled prior to the production, auditors, and guests, the talent presentation got underway.
The first to take the stage was Alyse Sachs, who portrayed Ann Frank, when she hid from the Nazis in an attic. Sachs lay in a bed and talked to her stuffed animals.
Next up was Penfold, the first of two singers. She sat in a stool in the middle of the stage for her vocal and guitar performance of ?Our Song,? by Taylor Swift. Enos did a dance to Michael Jackson?s ?Thriller,? moonwalk and all. She also wore the trademark Michael Jackson hat and danced into every corner of the stage.
Norman, much like she did in 2006, stayed with the Oldies. Instead of a dance, Norman did a comedy skit with a cardboard cutout, while singing ?The Chapel of Love? by the Dixie Cups.
Olree, flanked by cutout crescent moons, performed a flawless piano solo to the song
COLLINS THEN did a high-energy dance to the song ?Temperature? by Sean Paul. She spun a beach umbrella and capped the performance with tumbles and flips.
The final performer was Paige Tibbitts, who sang the ballad ?Boats & Birds? by Gregory and The Hawk.
The show continued with Kent reprising her 2006 talent presentation, ?On the Phone.? That was followed by the evening gown presentation, a farewell message from Kent, and the final review, where the girls kicked off their heels and freelanced on the catwalk to the song ?One Night Only,? by Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen.
Wregglesworth said the girls found ways to highlight their different talents. ?Each was unique in what they presented to the audience. I think it really showed off every girl?s personality,? said Wregglesworth. ?Some of them are funnier, and some are more serious and that really came through in their talent.?