Jackson pageant aids contestants later on

Appearance, poise, talent and interview answers may be the criteria contestants in the Miss Missouri pageant are judged on. But Miss Jackson's success in the pageant last weekend indicates that experience is also necessary.

Miss Jackson, Whitney Weeks of Chesterfield, Mo., was named Miss Missouri in Mexico, Mo., on Saturday. She will compete for Miss America in September.

Shandi Finnessey was crowned Miss Jackson in 2001. As Miss Metro St. Louis, she was named Miss Missouri in 2002. This year, Finnessey won the Miss USA Pageant and was recently named first runner-up to Miss Universe.

Marybeth Williams, director of the Miss Jackson Pageant, said that while Weeks and Finnessey are both special individuals, they were helped by their public appearances as Miss Jackson.

"Miss Jackson interacts with the community a lot," Williams said. "She gets a lot of experience from the appearances, and she gets a lot of support from the Jackson community."

The Jackson chapter of the American Business Women's Association, which sponsors the pageant, helped Weeks and previous winners by setting up mock interviews, business engagements and other appearances in the time between the Miss Jackson pageant and the Miss Missouri competition.

Williams said this interaction between the local pageant and the contestant prepares Miss Jackson for the next pageant.

"I think that others don't keep that interaction with the girl, not even in a phone call," Williams said. "So they go to the Miss Missouri pageant on their own. That is not as much fun for the girls, and they don't get the experience."

This help from the local pageant draws contestants to the Miss Jackson pageant, Williams said.

Weeks wanted help with her platform issue, military awareness and appreciation. She has written and talked to more than 600 veterans and is compiling a book of their stories. Williams coordinated Weeks' volunteering at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. Weeks' book contains stories from some of the residents.

Another reason for the success of Miss Jackson candidates at the Miss Missouri and other pageants, Williams said, is that the Jackson pageant attracts top candidates by offering one of the largest scholarship awards for a preliminary pageant in the state. Miss Jackson wins a scholarship worth at least $1,000.

jwachter@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127