Bates and Kinney ‘shine like fireworks’
at Presque Isle pageants
By Jennifer Buzza
Special to The Star-Herald
A new sponsor and a new venue welcomed the three Miss Presque Isle contestants, along with the five Junior Miss Presque Isle contestants on the Presque Isle Middle School stage dedicated to “Fairytales and Fireworks.” The reigning 2014 Miss Presque Isle Darrian Corey and reigning 2014 Junior Miss Presque Isle Kacie Chapman welcomed the audience and introduced the emcees for the evening, Claudia Stevens of the United Way of Aroostook, sponsors of the pageant, and Jason Parent.
The evening began with the contestants introducing themselves during the opening number to “Lucky Star” choreographed by Miss contestant, Kelsey Gilson.
Following the introduction of the judges and auditors, United Way Campaign Chair for 2014-15 Luke Rossignol thanked the public for their ongoing support of the United Way and reminded the audience that the funds raised “stay local.”
Interviews were conducted earlier in the day and were worth 40 percent of each contestant’s overall score. The first judged portion of the evening was the sportswear competition, worth 15 percent. Newly crowned 2015 Little Miss Presque Isle Mallory Cronin was briefly interviewed on stage, smiled, noting that since being crowned earlier in the day she had yet to remove her new crown! Nearly 20 visiting queens introduced themselves on stage just prior to the final performance of the 2014 Miss Presque Isle Darrian Corey. She was interviewed by emcee Parent, then she entertained the audience with her piano solo “Chandelier.” Corey is the daughter of Todd Corey and Kelly Bell.
Competing for the title of Junior Miss Presque Isle were:
• Casey Estabrook, daughter of Clif and Heidi Estabrook, who performed a monologue “Gertrude McFuzz” from Dr. Seuss. Estabrook was named Miss Hospitality for securing the most sponsorships and selling the most tickets. She raised $1,520 for the United Way.
• Sophie Lambert, daughter of James and Barbara Lambert, performed a lyrical dance to “Holding Out for a Hero.” Lambert was named second runner-up in the Junior Miss division.
• Clara Kohlbacher, daughter of Jared and Raina Kohlbacher, performed a gymnastic routine to “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift. Kohlbacher received the Spirit Award, which was voted on by the contestants and the directors. She also was named first runner-up in the Junior Miss division.
• Kaci Bates, daughter of Marty and Destini Bates, performed a lyrical dance routine to “Hallelujah,” and later named 2015 Jr. Miss Presque Isle.
• Alexis Moro, daughter of Laurie Moro, performed a dance routine to “Uptown Funk”.
Competing for the title of Miss Presque Isle were:
• Kelsey Gilson, daughter of Dennis and Susan Gilson, performed a swing dance to “Land of 1,000 Dances.” Gilson was named first runner-up in the Miss division.
• Emma Kinney, daughter of Derrick and Jolene Kinney, performed a self-choreographed contemporary dance to “Over.” Kinney was named 2015 Miss Presque Isle.
• Emily Brawn, daughter of Gary and Jean Brawn, performed American Sign Language to the song “It’s Not Unusual.” Brawn was named second runner-up in the Miss division.
Following the talent selections, which were worth 30 percent of the overall scores, the reigning 2014 Junior Miss Presque Isle Kacie Chapman was interviewed by Stevens. The former Northern Star finalist entertained the audience with the vocal selection “My Heart Will Go On” from the movie, “Titanic.” Chapman is the daughter of Travis and Kellie Chapman.
The final judged portion of the evening featured the evening gown competition. While on stage, each of the Junior Miss contestants was to share “what makes her unique” while the Miss contestants shared a platform of their choosing. The gown competition was worth 15 percent of the girls’ overall score.
Also stopping by for a brief interview and performance was the 2014 Junior Miss Maine Potato Queen Yessenia Vilar. The Presque Isle native performed a lyrical dance routine to “She’s Like the Wind.” Vilar is the daughter of James and Jasmine Cote.
Each of the reigning queens took their final walks around the auditorium escorted by their fathers, reflecting on their year representing the Star City. The parade of gowns followed, and the evening concluded with the awards presentations.
Bates and Kinney will now join their sister queens from Presque Isle as they make preparations for the annual Potato Blossom pageants in July.
