BAshley Griffin of Greenwood said competing at the Mississippi Miss Hospitality Pageant and participating in the weeklong festivities is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“I am so happy that I get to experience this,” the 18-year-old said. “It’s so exciting. It’s been the best week of my life.”
Griffin and 29 other contestants, all Miss Hospitality winners in their respective cities and counties, arrived in Hattiesburg on Sunday.
The pageant is in its 66th year and has been held annually in the Hub City since 1998. The two-night competition starts at 8 p.m. Friday and concludes at 8 p.m. on Saturday at the historic Saenger Theater.
As the young women arrived, the pageant week began with dance rehearsals for this weekend’s main event. That evening, University of Southern Mississippi President Rodney Bennett hosted a dinner for the contestants at the Ogletree House on the campus of Southern Miss.
After a press conference on Monday at the Saenger Theater, the contestants toured Hattiesburg on Tuesday — breakfast at Hattiesburg Visitors Center, pottery painting at Main Street Books, and visits with children at the ARC and pediatric patients at Forrest General Hospital.
Tuesday’s events wrapped up with a “holidays” theme party at the Lake Terrace Convention Center. Griffin’s holiday was “Thanksgiving,” so she dressed as an Indian.
Wednesday morning the competition started with panel interviews.
“I feel like it went really well,” said Griffin.
Griffin said she was asked several questions on topics including current issues, the state and its tourism industry, her hometown and her favorite famous Mississippian — B.B. King.
Today, Griffin will participate in the one-on-one interview competition. Each judge will meet with each contestant for three minutes. The basic tool for conducting the one-on-one interviews is the contestant’s fact sheet, which is a resume of personal credits and a guide for getting to know the contestant.
The dress rehearsal for the events on Friday and Saturday will also be held today at Saenger Theater.
On Friday morning, each contestant will present a 90-second speech on “How would you promote our state to a visitor of Mississippi?” Then, they will attend a community autograph party at the Hattiesburg Zoo before the pageant.
Saturday’s pageant will announce the top 10 and the top five before the winner is crowned.
Griffin, a member of Delta State University’s Delta Belles dance team, said one of her favorite parts of participating in the pageant is the dance rehearsals.
“I love that we get to dance,” she said. “I love dance, and I’ve been able to dance every day.”
Griffin has also enjoyed getting to know and bonding with the other contestants.
“I have met so many people I probably would have never met otherwise. I’ve made so many friends,” said Griffin. “It’s like a sisterhood. We’re all here for the same reason. We want to promote our cities, and we love our cities, and we want to promote Mississippi.”
The Mississippi Miss Hospitality Pageant offers more than $100,000 in scholarships and prizes. Tickets are $17-$22, or packages are available for both nights. For more information, call Saenger Theater at (601) 584-4888.
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
