Miss Illinois pageant returns to Southern Illinois
After crowning Miss Southern Illinois and Miss Heartland in January, Miss Illinois 2015 Crystal Davis will return to the Marion Cultural and Civic Center to pass on her crown.
Davis, an Anna native, was crowned in June of 2015; the first Southern Illinois winner since 2007. She went on to participate in the Miss America 2016 pageant in Atlantic City, NJ. She was eliminated after placing outside of the Top 15 semi-finalists. As the Illinois representative, Davis received a $3,000 scholarship. Davis' platform, that she represented throughout her time as Miss Illinois, was "Crystal Clear Driving: Eyes on the Road Ahead."
Competing in the pageant will be Miss Southern Illinois Janna Harner, and Miss Heartland Abigail Brown, who were crowned at the Miss Southern Illinois Miss Heartland Scholarship Pageant earlier this year. Harner spoke about the benefits of adoption during the Miss Southern pageant, while Brown focused on the support given to the nation's veterans.
Also competing in the pageant will be Miss Southern Illinois Outstanding Teen Christine Bryant, who performed "On My Own" from the musical Les Miserables and who also spoke about her passion for helping veterans during the pageant. The three princesses: Ryan Wildermuth, Kyla Militoni, and Madelyn Holmes, who were crowned at the Miss Southern/Miss Heartland pageant will also be joining the other competitors during the Miss Illinois festivities.
The pageant will stretch throughout the week of June 12, beginning with the opening ceremony on June 13. The week's events will also include a Habitat for Humanity build, luncheons, and meet and greet ceremonies for all participants. Some of the events are open to the public, like the opening ceremonies for the Miss Illinois and Miss Illinois Outstanding Teen competitions.
2016 Local Titleholders
Miss Blackhawk Valley- Jaryn Franklin

Miss Capital City- Sophia Schwalbach

Miss Central Illinois- Samantha Kammerman

Miss Chain O' Lakes- Kelly Franck

Miss Chicago- Kristen One

Miss East Central - Breanna Bagley

Miss Fox Valley- Michela Moe

Miss Gem City- Shani Belshaw

Miss Gold Coast- Isha Jog

Miss Heartland- Abigail Brown

Miss John A. Logan- Christin Ritter

Miss Kankakee- Annika Strolle

Miss Land of Lincoln- Erin Hodgson

Miss Macomb- Rachel Wirt

Miss Metropolis- Colby Holman

Miss Northern Suburbs- Kaitlyn Dixon

Miss Pekin- Courtney Psinas

Miss Prairie State- Jori Parys

Miss Quincy- Angelica Niemann

Miss Southern Illinois- Janna Harner

Miss Springfield- Amelia Mugavero

Miss Windy City- Alexandra Kono
2016 Local Outstanding Teen Titleholders

Miss Blackhawk Valley's OTeen- Bailee Jones

Miss Capital City's OTeen- Madeline Miller

Miss Central Illinois' OTeen- McKara Caldwell

Miss Chain O'Lakes OTeen- Paige Schumacher

Miss Chatham Glenwood's OTeen- Katrina Jackman

Miss Chicago's OTeen- Cassidy Raasch

Miss East Central's OTeen- Alyssa Pfaffe

Miss Fox Valley's OTeen- Nikithia Lakshminarayanan

Miss Gem City's Oteen - Liz Dietrich

Miss Gold Coast's OTeen- Maddie Mazzella

Miss Heart of Illinois' OTeen- Kayla Sallenger

Miss Heartland's OTeen- KyLee Sizemore

Miss Lake County's OTeen- Sheridan Hurtig

Miss Land of Lincoln's OTeen- Victoria Shore

Miss Macomb's OTeen- Alexandra Casey

Miss Metro East's OTeen- Anna Nichols

Miss Metropolis' OTeen- Camryn Atkison

Miss Naperville's OTeen - Amanda Brockmeier

Miss Northern Illinois' OTeen- Annika Churchill

Miss Northern Suburbs' OTeen- Grace Keller

Miss Prairie State's OTeen- Abbey Gustaf

Miss Quincy's OTeen- Juliana Fray

Miss Southern Illinois' OTeen- Christine Bryant

Miss Springfield's OTeen- Ailaa Ippensen

Miss Windy City's OTeen- Samantha Pokorny