"I Feel So American" (7/17/08)

One of the many advantages of being Miss Illinois is the ability to experience Americana* at its best. From downtown festivals to county fairs, backyard barbeques to holiday celebrations, I feel like true American culture is best experienced in the summer time. One such occasion for me was on the Fourth of July celebrating our nation’s birthday at Arlington Park racetrack. Amidst the red, white, and blue banners, beautifully sculpted gardens, picturesque views, and flag waving families, I couldn’t help but realize how fortunate I am to live in this great country.

At Arlington Park I was interviewed in front of thousands of my closest friends on the big screen, announced the start of the race over the loudspeaker, held an autograph session, toured the facility, and met some of the movers and shakers in the park including track owner Mr. Duchossois. I had an amazing time there and loved interacting with the friendly staff and race-goers – it was one of my favorite appearances yet!

After the long weekend, I had the privilege of speaking at the Woodridge Chamber of Commerce meeting as their keynote. I enjoyed chatting with the Mayor of Woodridge and President of the Chamber of Commerce over lunch and later spoke to the Chamber members about the Miss America Organization, Volunteerism, and Character Counts. I loved talking to the business owners and community members after the lunch and must share some exciting news – Two appearances, a pending public service announcement, and a donation to our scholarship fund all came from that one speaking engagement! Thank you to the Woodridge Chamber of Commerce for your support!

On Saturday, I headed down to Metropolis, Illinois for the Miss Metropolis pageant. Executive Directors, Caroline Jones and Carrie Neely, and Board Member, Katie Frank, helped me to start the night off right with a delicious Southern meal of fried chicken, fried squash, and apple pie. We headed over to the pageant and, after chatting with the judges, walked in to a full house packed with community members coming to support their contestants. Miss Metropolis 2007, Brittany Hogue, did a wonderful job performing and speaking and I was excited to catch up with my fellow Alpha. It gives me great pleasure to introduce the first contestant for Miss Illinois 2009, Kaylee Little, who was crowned Miss Metropolis 2008 after a wonderful production. Special thank you to Caroline and Kris Jones for their warm hospitality while I was “down South”. From opening your home to letting me crash your niece’s birthday party, touring me around Metropolis to making sure I didn’t get lost, I really appreciate you making me feel at home seven hours away.

The next stop was evening gown shopping at Debbrah’s, one of our wonderful sponsors, in Paducah, Kentucky. Debbrah was kind enough to open the store for us and she showed Amalia, Glen S., Caroline, Brittany (who kindly helped teach me to tease my hair) and I, the latest styles in the pageant world. Ladies: Never buy a gown unless you know how it will look under the stage lights! Debbrah’s has an amazing setup that includes an entire wall of mirrors and flood lights to show what a gown really looks like on stage. Light colored dresses can be see-through and sequined/rhinestoned dresses get new life when in the spotlight! Debbrah also has a great selection of rhinestone jewelry for all your pageant needs. J

This blog, once again, is entirely too long. I’ll combine the rest of this week’s appearances in the next edition! Thanks for reading!

KT
Miss Illinois 2008

* I looked up the unofficial definition of “Americana” on Wikipedia – it lists baseball, apple pie, Superman, and the diner as four defining attributes of American culture. This week alone I went to a Cubs game, visited Superman’s hometown in Metropolis, and ate delicious homemade apple pie in the same city. Three out of four is pretty good – no wonder I felt so American!