Nine seek title of Miss Thousand Islands, opportunity to compete in state pageant

CLAYTON — The Clayton Opera House will sparkle and shine Saturday, Aug. 9, as nine young women compete for the title of Miss Thousand Islands 2009.

The winner of the Miss Thousand Islands Scholarship Pageant will receive $600 in scholarship money and the opportunity to compete in the Miss New York State pageant, part of the Miss America Organization. One contestant will receive a $150 community service award, and another a $100 performing arts award.

"To me it's a very great way for young ladies to get scholarship money to help with their books, their tuition, whatever they deem necessary," said Audrey M. Olin, the pageant's co-executive director along with Susan B. Pilon.

The Miss America Organization, on its Web site, calls itself "one of the nation's leading achievement programs and the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women." The organization awarded a total of $340,000 to young women at its national competition and made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance nationwide in 2008.

The Miss Thousand Islands Pageant gives out small scholarship awards, but Mrs. Olin said that the winner has the opportunity to compete for some of the approximately $20,000 awarded through various scholarships at the Miss New York State pageant.

"We may not have a lot of money to give our people, but it's the idea that with what money we have given them they will be able to win more," she said.

In addition to receiving money for themselves, the contestants will also serve as program ambassadors for causes ranging from cancer awareness to providing a medical clinic in Sudan to promoting the performing arts in area schools. At the pageant, the young women each represent a specific organization that they hope to stay involved with later in life.

"This is something that they carry with them," said Mrs. Olin. "Some of it's personal; some of it's saying, 'I really, really like this organization.'"

The winner of this year's Miss Thousand Islands Pageant, as in years past, will become an ambassador for the Children's Miracle Network. She will work to raise funds and awareness for the program, which has been affiliated with the Miss America Organization for 19 years.

Like the volunteer platform and CMN ambassadorship, the other components of the pageant mirror those of the national Miss America contest. The competition includes private interviews with judges, on-stage interviews, talent performances, an evening wear category and a swimsuit, lifestyle and fitness category.

The Miss Thousand Islands contestants, who already met for a workshop in which they learned about makeup application and practiced for interviews, are scheduled to meet again Friday at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton. From there, they will ride in one of the museum's wooden boats, aptly named the Miss Thousand Islands, to the opera house for a rehearsal evening.

The opera house will be decorated for the theme "Dancing for the Crown," inspired by the ABC show "Dancing with the Stars."

Mrs. Pilon, who is in charge of the decorations, said that the opera house will be "very sparkly" and might even shine with some rented chandeliers.

On Aug. 9, the young women will meet at the opera house at 9 a.m. and begin their all-day events. The winner will be crowned at the public part of the pageant in the evening with a tiara donated by Waterbury Jewelers of Watertown.

Clayton's Corrine F. Dartnell, Miss Thousand Islands 2008, will crown her successor and sing a song from "The Phantom of the Opera."

"It's just a really fun night of entertainment for all ages," said Mrs. Pilon.

Although everything is set for the pageant, Mrs. Olin is still seeking someone to volunteer as the pageant's fundraising chairperson. Interested parties can contact Mrs. Pilon at 782-3992.

"All of our board members are volunteers," Mrs. Olin said. "We do it because we really, really enjoy doing it."

The following will be competing in the pageant:

■ Amy Valenti, a SUNY Geneseo student from Painted Post. She will perform on a balance beam, and her platform is youth involvement in school activities.

■ Kaitlyn Dutton, a Jefferson Community College student from Antwerp. Her talent is vocal and her platform is kidney disease awareness.

■ Stevie Knight, a University at Buffalo student from Watertown. Her talent is vocal and her platform is breast cancer awareness.

■ Jordan Barber, a SUNY Canton student from Alexandria Bay. Her talent is vocal and her platform is Save the River.

■ Morgan Bocciolatt, an Ithaca College student from Chaumont. Her talent is vocal and her platform is promoting the performing arts among children.

■ Victoria Rippel, a SUNY Brockport student from Batavia. Her talent is lyrical dance and her platform is the Pickle Jar Project, a youth branch of the Reaching Out To Africa program that is dedicated to financing a wing of a medical clinic in southern Sudan.

■ Alexandria Marshall, Mannsville, a student at South Jefferson Central School, Adams. Her talent is vocal and her platform is music in our schools.

■ Kristan Lettiere, a University at Buffalo student from Watertown. Her talent is vocal and her platform is the breast cancer Pink Pledge program.

■ Sarah Lalonde, a SUNY Canton student from Ogdensburg. Her talent is vocal and her platform is cancer research and awareness.