Competition for the crown
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on November 9, 2017 5:50 AM
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Contestants for the 2018 Miss Goldsboro Scholarship pageant, to be held Saturday night at the Paramount Theatre, include those vying for Miss Goldsboro, back row from left, Alexis Brown, Bailey Stamper, Emily Mitchell and Martina Marler, front row, Miss Goldsboro Outstanding Teen contestants, from left, Mary Michael Wood, Sarah Pope, Michaelah Hall and Sarah Katz.
Competition for two local crowns could be intense Saturday night, with only four contestants each vying for the honor of being 2018 Miss Goldsboro and Miss Goldsboro Outstanding Teen.
The event kicks off at 6:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased in advance at the Paramount box office or website, or at the door on pageant night.
Part of the Miss America organization, the scholarship pageant is a preliminary to the Miss North Carolina contest.
Three of the four Miss Goldsboro contestants also competed last year and one of the four teens is also returning for another attempt.
The pool of contestants for the Miss Goldsboro title include returnees Alexis Brown, Emily Mitchell and Bailey Stamper, along with Martina Marler.
Brown, 20, is from Fremont and attends Johnston Community College. Her talent is tap dancing and her platform is "Give Life, Give Blood."
Mitchell, 22, of Goldsboro, graduated from UNC-Wilmington with a bachelor's degree in biology. She will tap dance for her talent. Her platform is mental health awareness.
Marler, 22, is a student at Wake Technical Community College. Her platform is the Multiple Sclerosis Society. For her talent, she will do a stand-up comedy routine.
Stamper, 18, graduated from Charles B. Aycock High School and is a freshman at East Carolina University. She will tap dance for her talent, and her platform is "Cure SMA."
The four contestants in the Outstanding Teen category include 14-year-olds Michaelah Grace Hall of Clinton, who participated in the 2016 event, Sarah Katz and Mary Michael Wood along with 16-year-old Sarah Ashlyn Pope.
Hall, a student at Clinton High School, will do a contemporary clogging routine for her talent. Her platform is "Tabs for Ronald McDonald House."
Katz is a student at Apex Friendship School. Her platform is "Music and More" and her talent is playing the piano.
Wood, a student at South Johnston High School, will also play piano. Her platform is "My World Matters: Fighting Childhood Hunger."
Pope, a student at Triton High school, will perform a contemporary clogging routine. Her platform is Society of St. Andrew.
With fewer contestants comes few awards, said Shirley Proctor, executive director of the Miss Goldsboro Scholarship Association.
"We are only awarding first runner-up and winner this year since we only have four contestants in each category," she said Tuesday.
Miss Goldsboro 2018 has the potential to receive $1,000 from the Miss Goldsboro Committee and a $250 Beth Stovall Scholarship provided by Dan and Patti Stovall in honor of their daughter, Beth, who was Miss Goldsboro 2013 and Miss North Carolina 2014. The winner will also receive a $2,500 in-kind award from University of Mount Olive and $1,190 in-kind from Wayne Community College.
The first runner-up receives a $2,000 in-kind award from UMO.
Miss Goldsboro's Outstanding Teen receives a $250 scholarship from the committee and a $100/month wardrobe allowance from Emily's Boutique.
There are also awards given for community service, Miss Congeniality in both categories, talent awards and recognition for ad sales.
Emcee for the evening will be Jill Suggs Howell, Miss Goldsboro 1998, a family and consumer science teacher at her alma mater, CBA High School.