Workshop #1

We had great workshop tonight where the girls learned interview skills and learn the walking pattern for the pageant. Next week are working on evening wear and swimsuit and of course more walking. We have a great bunch of girls and it is going to be very hard for the judges to pick from. We have are next workshop a week from tonight. Don't forget to bring your pink and your heels.

1st meeting with the contestant's

We had our 1st meeting the the contestant's tonight and it was great! We had 12 girls show and we cannot wait until our workshops that start next week. Erica will be doing some of the workshops and we hope to see her on tuesday, belly and all. All the fund raising will begin and tickets will be going on sell next week so get them now!

The Mayor and Provo City is Behind us!

We are soooooo excited! The meeting with the Mayor was awesome! The Mayor's office is behind us 100% and want us to succeed! The Mayor wants a Miss Provo and wants his City represented like the rest of us. With Provo city supporting us and people aware of what Miss Provo really does and what she stands for I really think everyone can pull together and make this work! The Mayor did say he wishes he would have called us into his office and let us know in person. I know that would have stop all of this from happening and the media getting only part of the story straight leaving out other parts...We all know how they work..Anyway it was a Good Day! Now if all the rest of the days can be this good we will have it made!

Meeting with the Mayor...Reward Achievement!

We have a meeting with Mayor Curtis on Thursday! We are hoping that at this meeting we can help him understand that we need to reward achievement! We need the support of Provo City, not necessarily financial support but physical support. How can we have a Miss Provo if the city of Provo is not behind her? It is amazing to me how many people stay at home and collect unemployment and welfare and we have these girls that go and do so much community service and the City is not willing to Reward Achievement! We will be selling shirts that say..."Reward Achievement" and "Provo Proud"proceeds will go to fund The Miss Provo Pageant!
If you would like to purchase one of these two shirts or if you have a retail store and want to carry them please let us know! We need to "Reward Achievement"!

Deseret News, Provo drops support for Miss Provo pageant

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700007525/Provo-drops-support-for-Miss-Provo-pageant.html

Is it true that "so few women benefit from it"?

I do understand in hard times come hard choices. The Mayor's office has made it clear. This was not a hard choice because "so few young women benefit from it". I also believe the Mayor's office has it wrong! I quote from Mayor John Curtis on www.provo.org
"Growing up, I always thought of Provo as a magic place. As mayor, I want to make sure it continues to be a memorable place." I do not think he really understand what it is "Miss Provo" does and represents.
I want everyone to know it more then a crown and it is not a beauty pageant.I think it should be called the Community Service pageant, there is way more community service involved in Miss Provo then scholarship. Miss Provo represents the city of Provo in Miss Utah, Freedom Fest, Days of 47,Holiday parade, Springville, Payson, Pleasant Grove, Orem, Spanish Fork, Flag Day & Veterans Day ceremonies,Provo's parade, The 4Th of July parade,Strawberry days, BYU Homecoming, ribbon cutting for new business opening in Provo, she has a platform in which she does, community service, Children's festival not only does she raise money for CMN Children's Miracle Network she spends countless hours volunteering her time making blankets for those children or anything else they need help with. So Please Mr. Mayor, please tell me how "so few young women benefit from it"?

I agree with the Mayor..quote from Mayor John Curtis on www.provo.org
"Growing up, I always thought of Provo as a magic place. As mayor, I want too make sure it continues to be a memorable place."
I to want to make sure Provo is a memorable place a place where people from all over the state want to come and visit. How is it that taking away Miss Provo and everything she represents for this city is going to help in keeping Provo Magical?
Provo is such a HUGE part of Utah and the Utah culture. Provo is the second largest city in this state, yet you want to take away the Representative to represent us the city of Provo in these state wide traditions and functions?
Can you see it is not about a crown. Itis about loving Provo City and being proud of where we live. It's about showing other city's that we are"Provo Proud", we are Proud we live in Provo.
I want the city I love to be represented. I do not want Provo to be the blackeye or missing city from all of these statewide traditions.
I love my city and I want Provo to be represented so we can keep the magic alive.

There are always options

I truly believe no matter what the circumstance, there are always options. Maybe this time I am wrong. Yes, I do understand that 3 Million dollars needs to be cut from Provo City's budget and fast. We understand.

Why was Miss Provo cut so fast without even a second thought of...."This event is starting in less then 3 weeks what can we do to cut the budget but keep the program alive?"

To this point this is what I am being told.. Since the City is not supporting Miss Provo we cannot get city pricing. Really? Miss Provo cannot get city pricing at the building the city runs? Provo is not taking money out of it's budget to pay for it. You give us hardly any time to raise money and now everything is costing us much more because Miss Provo is not supported by the city. I really cannot believe that Miss Provo is not supported by Provo,even though she will be representing the city of Provo.

Does the City have to give us money to "quote" support us?
If so give us a $1 dollar and support us. Without the city's support we have to pay over a $1000 more on just one venue, let alone all the other venues, is crazy! If the city can't afford to provide the funding for Miss Provo Scholarship Pagaent, please support us so can save money on our venues and offer these girls a better schlarship fund.
It's not just about a crown or a title, it's about representing our city in this state.

I know they said they would not support us but this is Crazy!

Provo City has funded this program for 35 + years, so far they offer us nothing. No options....no nothing.

Judi has served this City by donating her time for over 20 years by being the Director of the Miss Provo scholarship Program.
How is it that a program that has been important enough to past Mayors to keep around for so many years, be cut without even a call or personal Thank You from the Mayor to Judi Dayton? The Mayor had someone else call her and tell her it was over. I don't even know if she received a Thank You. I believe if Judi "retired" after 20 years of being the director she would have received a Thank you. Don't you?

November 2009 until Jan 27, 2010.....

Judi and I have been to mandatory workshops that are required for the Directors and Judges chairs to attend. We have been in the Mayors office a few times going over costs and talking about fund-raising and how to help with the cost because we will not have the budget we have had the year before. Many emails and phone calls with the Mayors office about the pageant and other items and events that were being planned for Miss Provo for the year. Provo City just bought a email address for us to get a website up and running. This would make it easier for the girls to find the application to tryout for Miss Provo. We had 3 meetings planned, all which were within days of happening and then a call that changed it all.

That was it, it was over, boom, canceled. I asked the Mayors office if Miss Provo was a City thing or if we could find sponsors and still have the pageant. I was told it was not a City thing and we could still have the Pageant, but the City would not support us in anyway. I wanted to make sure and asked twice. I asked them not to put it was canceled on the Website because I wanted to talk to Judi to see if we thought we could pull it off with such short notice. The Mayors office told me Judi was going out of town and said they would not post anything until they heard back from us. The Mayors office did send me an email stating the pageant had been canceled just incase we could not get sponsors to fund it. I was reassured nothing would be posted until we got back to them the beginning of the following week. (5 days which included a weekend)
I received an email from one of the girls stating she was sending me her application but wanted to know what was going on because the Provo City site stated it had been canceled. I was shocked, I thought the city was not going to post anything. Now with the city's website stating it was canceled how were we going to raise money for it?

Many many years later....

I received a phone call from Judi Dayton wanting me to help with the 2010 Miss Provo Scholarship Pageant and I was thrilled. I had always wanted to be in a pageant yet never had a chance. See many people think pageants are full of Mom's trying to live their dreams through their daughter which in most cases is not true. Read "Where my adventure began" post if you don't believe me! But...Yes, I agree with you some mothers and grandmothers do and that is very sad. I would say since these ladies are all between the ages of 17 and 24 years of age this would not be the case.

Wow, the work and the time it takes to put on a pageant. The life skill's the girls learn while doing their platform's, doing community service, workshops, raising money for CMN Children's Miracle Network, going to City functions, going to State functions to represent the City they love while maintaining a good GPA is no walk in the park.

This is no beauty pageant or as some people have said "Bimbo Fest" this is hard work. Hard work that stays with the girls and others the rest of their lives. I can tell you that only girls with real passion to make a difference in this community that Love this City would even tryout to be Miss Provo. because it is hard work, a lot of dedication and a lot is expected of them.

Where my adventure began....

Mommy, I want to be Miss America....Mommy, I want to be Miss America. Oh Marna, you are pretty enough, you are smart enough but Marna you are not tall enough. See all though girls have very long legs and they don't allow girls with short legs. Mommy, see her? She has short legs. No dear, she does not have short legs, she has shorter legs then the rest of the girls but they are not short. Mommy how do you know? Because, she is not what we call petite. Peas? No Marna, petite. That is when a girl is shorter then all the rest. Mom, she is shorter then all the rest. Yes dear, but she is not petite....
I looked at my mom with a maze of confusion going through my little body thinking wondering why am I peas and what is peas! My sweet mother tried all the ways she knew how to gently break the news to me without breaking my little heart and ruining my little soul, but It did not work I was crushed. Mom, How do you know... Honey, I just do. look honey she is pretty, she is smart but she is short. No matter how pretty and smart you are, you just won't win if you are short. Watch dear you will see.
Having too much excitement and energy racing through my little body to sit to watch this pageant I stood and I stood and I stood. Inside I was cheering on that shorter legged girl to win and then it was over, my mom was right girls with short legs don't win. Mom, Mom I don't want to be short. I want to be Miss America. Being short is not a bad thing Marna. Matter of fact being short is awesome! See when your short boys will help you more. They will take you under their wing and reach up really high and get things for you. Tall girls don't need boys to help them as much. Some girls are too tall for boys but not us short girls, we look small and helpless and boys like that.....
Wow, now I am confused. under their wing, way up high, small and helpless with other things my mother was saying but could not comprehend because I was trying to wrap my brain around and trying to get past the under their wing part. What type of freak boys was my mother talking about? Then I heard... Just wait dear, you will see. See what? I did not want to see that, or smell that, or what ever that was. Now I really wanted to be Miss America because I would be tall and I did not want anything to do with what my mother was talking about. Scared out of my little fragile mind, I was getting ready to tell her my mom that now, I wanted to be tall ..... Mom....Okay dear, you will be Miss America. and Miss America I was....for Halloween! Let me tell you at the time, I enjoyed every second of it. Needless to say, my sisters have never nor will they ever allow me to live this down. Maybe I should have made them the runners up. Because of the harassment and blackmail threats over the years I tried very hard to destroy the evidence of my day of glory. If I find a picture, I will post it okay maybe not.

Despite the efforts of my "jealous" sisters laughing I still remember feeling Wow, this is how Miss American feels when she puts on her sash. My mother made my sash it was White with the glittery words Miss America I was in heaven for I had hit it big. I can still remember my victory walk around the school halls as all the kids walked in the school Halloween parade. I had the same feeling as I got to walk the neighborhood and pretended that this was my Parade. I don't even remember if I even went to one door for candy. I think I just walked the streets thinking I am Miss America. The night was over way to soon, my Day of the reigning was over no more victory walks or parades I was done for my mom knew all and I was too short. At least I had my day and I was going to keep my sash forever!

Okay this is for my sisters...Yes I did, I did get my parade! I got to sit on the back of a convertible waving my hand to every and everyone and yes, I loved it. I loved every single moment of it! I had my feeling of being Miss America back and once again I was her. I was so happy. That was until I realized... Holy crap I cannot believe I am going to post this picture!

I was not Miss American, I was Wendy!

I will not tell you how many of those parades I did. Somethings I must keep to myself. I can tell you I do not remember ever throwing Frisbees. I remember throwing little packages of bear shaped cookies with chocolate fudge in the middle of them.

I did get quite the feel for parades, I do not wish to ever be in a parade again. I never want the feeling of being "Wendy" rushing through my soul.

Disclamer* I found out years later ,like married with kids years later that my mom did not know it all. Girls with short legs do win!

KSL Video & Article

ksl.com - Provo City cancels pageant due to budget shortages