Area pageant hopefuls celebrate the ‘Roaring ’20s’

    PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Presque Isle High School auditorium was reminiscent of the “Great Gatsby” era as the curtain opened April 5 on the 2014 Mapleton Pageant.
    Eleven girls competed in the afternoon pageant, vying for one of five Mapleton titles. Four girls competed in the Little Miss division, one in the Pre-Teen division, and two each in the Junior Miss, Teen Miss and Miss Mapleton divisions.

    Following opening remarks from Kelsey Gilson, president of the PIHS Class of 2015 which sponsored the pageant, the girls performed their opening number to “It Don’t Mean A Thing,” choreographed by Gilson. Class members Emma Kinney and Isaac Michaud served as emcees for the afternoon.

    The 11 contestants competed in four areas, including interviews, which were held the week before, casual wear, talent and evening gown. The four girls competing in the Little Miss division were:

• Elizabeth Wing, the 7-year-old daughter of Rick and Stephanie Wing, who performed a hip hop dance routine to “I’m Elmo and I Know It!” Wing received the Director’s Choice Award, a new award created by the directors this year as a “thank you” to the mom and daughter that were most organized and met all of the deadlines required.

• Olivia Locke, the 7-year-old daughter of Chris and Sherry Locke, clogged to “Levels.” She was named first runner-up.

• Rossalyn Buck, the 9-year-old daughter of Barry and Martha Buck, clogged to “Take a Chance on Me.” Buck received the High Ticket Sales Award and was named the 2014 Little Miss Mapleton.
• Neve Guerrette, the 6-year-old daughter of Ryan and Renee Guerrette, clogged to “Friday Night.”

    Only one contestant competed for the title of Pre-Teen Miss Mapleton. Delaney Alward is the 11-year-old daughter of Christopher and Wendy Maple and David Alward. She sang “In Summer” from the movie “Frozen” and was named 2014 Pre-Teen Miss Mapleton.

    Two girls competed in the Junior Miss division:

• Elizabeth Collins, the 12-year-old daughter of Darren and Michelle Collins, danced en pointe to “Drops of Jupiter.” She was named 2014 Junior Miss Mapleton.

• Alexis Moro, the 12-year-old daughter of Laurie Moro and Chris Brown, danced to “Dynamite” and was named first runner-up.

    The two high school students competing for Teen Miss were:

• Shaye McHatten, the 15-year-old daughter of Matt and Kelly McHatten, performed a lyrical dance to “Human.” McHatten was named 2014 Teen Miss Mapleton.

• Victoria Williamson, the 14-year-old daughter of Marla Williamson and Theodore Williamson, danced to “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” during the talent competition. She was named first runner-up.
    Two more students from PIHS competed for the Miss Mapleton title:

• Hannah Stoutamyer, the 18-year-old daughter of Adam and Kristi Stoutamyer, performed a contemporary en pointe dance routine to “Let It Go” and was named 2014 Miss Mapleton, receiving a $600 scholarship.

• Emma Langille, the 16-year-old daughter of Carroll and Jennifer Langille, performed a lyrical dance routine to “I’m Gonna Love You Through It.” Langille was named the pageant Miss Congeniality by her fellow contestants. She also received first runner-up honors and a $300 scholarship.

    During the afternoon pageant, the audience was treated to entertainment by all five of the reigning queens. The 2013 Little Miss Mapleton, Bailey Plummer, performed her award-winning monologue, “Little Miss Muffet.” Also performing was 2013 Pre-Teen Miss Mapleton Samantha Boulier, who sang “This Is Me.” 2013 Junior Miss Mapleton Brittany Warner performed a hip hop dance routine to “You Get What You Give.” Madison Shaw, 2013 Teen Miss Mapleton, showcased her talents on the piano with a Coldplay medley, and 2013 Miss Mapleton Rachel Dow performed her self-composed, award-winning monologue, “Princess and Potatoes.”

    Numerous local queens took the stage and introduced themselves while the contestants prepared for the evening wear competition. Toward the end of the afternoon, each of the five reigning Mapleton queens had an opportunity to share their farewell thoughts as queen before the final results were tallied and their successors were announced.

    In addition to the contestants’ sponsors, this year the Class of 2015 also received financial support from several of the businesses in Mapleton. Those businesses also generously contributed to scholarships for the newly crowned Miss Mapleton and the first-runner up. All businesses that contributed to the scholarships were acknowledged and thanked during the afternoon.