Miss Maine Invitational

This month I had my first trip as Miss Rhode Island 2012! 

I had the pleasure of attending the Miss Maine Invitational, an experience put together by the Miss Maine Organization. This trip gives state titleholders the opportunity to visit the Miss America Organization, learn the history of Miss America by visiting locations throughout New Jersey and an opportunity to receive mock interviews by a prestigious panel of judges. This will be without a doubt one of my favorite memories during my year as Miss Rhode Island.

I left Thursday afternoon on a two-hour drive to Hartford, Connecticut to take a “Rhode trip” with Lisa Little, one of our gracious hosts and member of the Miss Connecticut Board, to travel together to Radnor, Pennsylvania. After about six hours, a few pit stops, minor car issues and New York City traffic we finally arrived at Honeystone. We were welcomed by Valerie Clemens who invited us to stay at her BEAUTIFUL home in Radnor, Pennsylvania. We were also greeted by Lisa Perez Miller, another wonderful host and member of the Miss Kansas Board. It was wonderful to finally meet some of my Miss America sisters, which made me realize quickly that my heels were NOT going to be high enough to keep up with their 5’9 stature. I think I am just going to live by the phrase “Good things come in small packages” for the year!  

Friday morning started early with a trip to Schoppy’s, the original creator of the Miss America crown and a variety of Miss America memorabilia. We learned from the staff their fondest memories of when the pageant was in Atlantic City as well as their involvement. They had a delicious breakfast prepared for us as well as some personalized gifts keepsakes to take home. We had a blast shopping at their store. I was able to finally purchase a personalized crown box!

The next stop on our jam-packed Friday was a visit to the Miss America Headquarters. This was definitely my favorite part of the trip! We were warmly greeted by Art McMaster, CEO and President of the Miss America Organization and his amazing staff. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know the organization and all of the people who are a part of it. We saw the oil paintings of all the Miss Americas as well as some unique memorabilia! We were able to share with Art and his staff a little about ourselves and our platform work. They had a delicious lunch prepared for us, as well as a cake! Everything is fine in moderation right? J We left with generous gifts from the organization including a plaque with our Miss America headshots! What a wonderful keepsake! Visiting the offices made this experience feel so real. It finally hit me that I am going to Miss America in January.

Next stop on our adventure was the Atlantic City Boardwalk! We got a private tour of Boardwalk Hall and Convention Center where we got to go backstage and even walk across the Miss America stage! It is a beautiful venue that gives you the chills upon entering. After our tour, we headed down to the beach to take photos jumping in the ocean. We had trouble timing ourselves to jump all at once! The cheerleader came out in me as I tried to get us to jump in unison. It is much harder than it looks! Can you guess which one is me?

After some delicious treats from our new friends at Starbucks, it was time to head to world famous White House Subs for some DELICIOUS sandwiches.  After dinner we went to the Sheraton hotel to see all of the Miss America memorabilia they have displayed. We even got to experience a crowning moment by Bert Parks! Once we returned to Honeystone and our food coma sunk in, we enjoyed some bonding time while watching “There She Is” a documentary about the history of Miss America.

Saturday morning was another early morning at Honeystone while we prepared for another busy yet unique experience. We had the pleasure to visit Melmark, a home for mentally challenged individuals in Pennsylvania. What a beautiful place between the people and the scenery. We started off our time at Melmark with a talent show titled “To Melmark, With Love” where we each got to showcase our talents and entertain the crowd. After our show, we were able to enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by Sodexho with our new friends at Melmark. After lunch, we enjoyed the weather at a pool party where they got to show off their awesome swimming skills. Water volleyball was played girls vs. boys, where I am pretty sure the ladies took the win!

As the night approached, we prepared for our dinner party at Honeystone. So many amazing individuals came over to have dinner with us and help us with our interview skills. After cocktail hour, mock interviews started with our prestigious judges. This was definitely the most challenging interview I have had so far and really got me to think of topics I hadn’t thought about in the past. With about thirty judges and spectators, the pressure was on. I learned so much from the feedback I received from the judges. All of the critiques will be helpful in preparing for my interview at Miss America.

This trip will always be one of my favorite memories during my year as Miss Rhode Island. I have learned so much about the organization I represent, as well as about myself. I gained new friends and sisters who I am constantly learning from. The Miss Maine Invitational left me feeling extremely blessed and even more motivated to be the best that I can be as I represent Rhode Island at the Miss America Pageant.