Miss Mercer County crowned at fi rst local pageant
BY DANIEL ARENS
Now that a hometown woman has claimed the title of Miss North Dakota, pageantry and platforms have become a major interest for Hazen and Mercer County. Hoping to build upon the foundation laid by her daughter Delanie’s pageant success, Justine Wiedrich spearheaded the effort to bring the Miss America pageant competition to the local level.
On Jan. 30, four beautiful women, three high school ladies, and 10 young girls from Hazen, Beulah, and the surrounding area competed in the fi rst ever Miss Mercer County Pageant. Although the competition was challenging as the ladies contended for the top place in several categories of judging, everyone emerged a winner with gorgeous dresses, fl ashing smiles, and powerful platforms.
At the end of competition, Kim Ellwein was crowned the fi rst Miss Mercer County. Other titles included: Miss Hazen Beulah Emerald Aipperspach, Miss Mercer County’s Outstanding Teen Breanna Sailer, Miss Hazen Beulah’s Outstanding Teen Elise Reed, and Miss Coal Country’s Outstanding Teen Kyrah Duttenhefer.
Delanie Wiedrich, Miss North Dakota, and Olivia Larson, Miss North Dakota’s Outstanding Teen, hosted the Mercer County pageant at the Hazen High School Theater. These two remarkable champions of the 2015 Miss North Dakota pageants gave special performances, including Wiedrich singing “Let It Go” from Disney’s “Frozen” while the young girls, or “princesses” danced along.
Various scholarships will be awarded to these ladies, whether in high school or college. These scholarships are provided through the generous donations of local businesses and individuals.
