The 47th annual Miss Merced County Scholarship Program is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5 at Buhach Colony High School where five women will be crowned in front of a crowd of family and friends.
There are a total of three competitors for Miss Merced County, three for Miss Merced County’s Outstanding Teen and 15 for open competition titles of Miss Yosemite Valley’s Outstanding Teen, Miss Sierra Nevada, and Miss Yosemite Valley.
The open titles provide an opportunity for ladies to compete who have already won their local title or come from a county where there is no local competition.
Competing for the titles this year are the following:
Miss Merced County’s Outstanding Teen: Madison Beach, Siya Lakireddy and Chloe Gentry.
Miss Yosemite Valley’s Outstanding Teen (Open Competition): Keira Bixler, Hasini Merla, Jennifer Pan and Delilah Sichmeller.
Miss Merced County: Ananya Veerapaneni, Bianca Trindadeand and Giselle Alexander
Miss Sierra Nevada and Miss Yosemite Valley (Open Competition): Angela Adade, Danica Almanza, Cheyenne Amar, Elita Damron, Lauren Leonardo, Lena Liu, Jozalene Molina, Topanga Scherf, Raelene Sichmeller, Mackenzie Starnes
The Miss Merced County competition operates under the Miss America Organization and the five women crowned at the event will travel to Visalia in June and compete for the title of Miss California and Miss California’s Outstanding Teen 2023.
Girls between the ages of 13 and 18 can compete for Miss Merced County’s Outstanding Teen, 18 and 26 for Miss Merced County and they must be Merced, Stanislaus, Mariposa or Madera County residents.
The competition includes an interview with a panel of volunteer judges, an on-stage talent, on-stage question and red carpet/evening wear. The teen competition also includes a lifestyle and fitness portion.
The winners earn scholarships ranging from $200 to $500 to further their academic career. In addition to the scholarships, one lady will receive the Friendship Award which is voted on by the candidates. The winner of this scholarship will receive a $150 cash award which has been donated by the Olivarez-Kidwell family.
For more information or to secure tickets, call (209) 261-9363.
