With the Miss USA pageant receiving a lot of press, it is time to recognize that pageantry is an art.  If a contestant is astute, she will learn the skills one must attain to interview, speak in public, or write a biography page. This is achieved, of course, while learning about pageant hair, smiles, and selecting the appropriate dress.

Locally, the Miss Fontana Pageant has helped women to practice and perfect their social skills and filled their self-images with dozens of confidence boosters. The pageant has several success stories including Meagan Tandy, who was crowned Miss California USA in 2006 and who was the third runner-up in the Miss USA Pageant in 2007.

The Miss Fontana Pageant is recognized by many residents as a place for young women to become leaders as they find their strengths and weaknesses and learn valuable interviewing and biographical writing skills that will help them when applying for jobs as they enter the adult workforce.

“When they are done with the practices and photo shoots, they are all prepared to make public presentations or apply for any job interview,” says Pamela Eshleman, pageant chair adding, “the pageant experiences change their lives.”

Participants attend a six week training workshop that introduces them to the pageant world as well as many of the skills needed to successfully complete the event.

This year, twenty-one local young women spent countless number of days learning new skills and preparing for the event pageant competition.  On May 9. Cecily Cothran was crowned as the 2009 Miss Fontana.

To find out more about the pageant, please call the Fontana Area Chamber of Commerce at (909) 822-4433.