EPHRAIM—Thirteen contestants will take the stage at the 61st annual Miss Sanpete County and Miss Teen Sanpete competition on Saturday, Aug. 6, at the Eccles Performing Arts Center in Ephraim at 7 p.m.
Seven candidates will compete for the title of Miss Sanpete County, while six candidates will vie for the role of Miss Teen Sanpete.
Kayla Barclay Hall, Miss Sanpete County 2007 and Miss Utah 2008, and her husband, Tyson, will be hosts for the evening.
Abby Ivory, executive director of the competition said she is impressed with the caliber of this year’s class.
“These candidates are prepared and excited to serve our community,” Ivory said. “We are looking for the candidate who will be dedicated and have a strong desire to serve the communities of Sanpete. Each candidate has a social initiative that she is ready to implement. We are excited to see who will get the job.”
The Miss Sanpete County Scholarship Competition emphasizes the importance of education, scholarship and community service. Candi- dates seeking to be chosen as the new Miss Sanpete County and Miss Teen Sanpete will compete in the following categories: Interview, talent, evening wear and on-stage interview.
This year, the Miss Sanpete organization will award more than $7,000 in college scholarships to the winners, including the Heart of Gold scholarship, which is awarded to the candidates with the most impressive community service resume, and the Academic Scholarship, awarded to the candidates with the highest performance in academics.
“We are thrilled to be able to increase the amount of scholarships paid out to young women,” said Ivory. “This is the largest amount of scholarship funds we have ever paid out to a competing class. We are grateful for our sponsors, local Sanpete businesses, who so generously contribute to this fund and have helped make this possible. We also extend our thanks to the Sanpete County Commission for their support of this organization.”
Sanpete’s two current title holders will also take the opportunity to give their final appearance during the evening.
Ashtyn Childs of Centerfield has served as Miss Sanpete County 2022. She is a Snow College graduate, a licensed nail technician and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education at Western Governor’s University.
At the Miss Utah competition in June, she received the prestigious Non-finalist Private Interview award and a $200 scholarship.
Ashtyn’s most memorable event was helping at the Sanpete County Fair. “I was able to meet so many incredible people throughout the county and it was the perfect way to start my year as Miss Sanpete County,” she said.
Ashtyn has spent her year of service speaking and teaching about her social initiative theme, “Be Uniquely You,” which focuses on celebrating and accepting traits and characteristics that make each person unique and different.
Lakely Brotherson of Wales has served as Miss Sanpete County’s Outstanding Teen 2022. She competed at Miss Utah’s Outstanding Teen competition in February, where she was named fourth runner up, was a Top 8 and Top 15 finalist, and was also a recipient of the Fitness Preliminary Award. She will be a senior at North Sanpete High School.
Lakely’s most memorable moment was assisting at the Princess Camp at the Ephraim City Library where she taught young girls to value themselves. Another highlight was assisting at the motocross event during the Sanpete County Fair.
Lakely’s platform, “Give to Live” raises awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation.
Doors for this year’s pageant will open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults; children 4-11 are $5. Each adult ticket holder will receive a program, with additional programs being sold for $3.
Candidates for Miss Sanpete County are:
Madison Worthington
Madison is the daughter of Jed and Janalee Worthington of Ephraim. She will perform a monologue for her talent. Her social impact initiative is “Let’s Get Up and Atom.”
Anna Johnson
Anna is the daughter of Clifford Johnson and Madeline Johnson of Ephraim. She will perform a violin solo for her talent. Her social impact initiative is “Inspiring Patriotism: Past, Present and Future.”
Gracy Christenson
Gracy is from Gunnison and is the daughter of Miranda Christenson. She will perform a piano solo for her talent. Her social impact initiative is “Healthy Minds: Teenage Mental Health Awareness.”
Cari Jo Carmody
Cari is from Manti and is the daughter of Tom and Candy Carmody. She will perform a ballet on point for her talent. Her social impact initiative is “Be Positive, Be True, Be Kind.”
Karlie Strickland
Karlie lives in Ephraim and is the daughter of Cody Strickland and Harmonie Poppleton. She will perform a vocal solo for her talent. Her social impact initiative is “Breaking the Silence.”
Cali Alder
Cali is from Ephraim and is the daughter of Todd and Cindy Alder. She will perform a flute solo for her talent. Her social impact initiative is “Hometown Heroes: Honoring and Thanking Local Veterans.”
Leticia Rodriguez
Leticia lives in Gunnison and is the daughter of Gelascio and Destainy Rodriguez. She will perform a Latin jazz dance for her talent. Her social impact initiative is “I’m Right Here with You: Suicide Awareness.”
The Teen Candidate Group includes:
Kenadee Bailey
Kenadee is from Manti and is the daughter of Kyle and Kaylie Bailey. She will perform a lyrical dance solo for her talent. Her social impact initiative is “ConfiDANCE.”
Ava Jensen
Ava is from Mt. Pleasant and is the daughter of Kyle and Aimee Jensen. She will perform a contemporary dance solo for her talent. Her social impact initiative is “Functional Fitness.”
Kamree Taylor
Kamree is from Fountain Green and is the daughter of David and Kathy Taylor. She will perform a contemporary dance solo for her talent. Her social impact initiative is “#DoItForDRAYKE.”
Kaylee Curtis
Kaylee is from Mt. Pleasant and is the daughter of Sam and Marcy Curtis. She will perform a jazz dance solo for her talent. Her social impact initiative is “Perfectly Imperfect.”
Shea Rawlinson
Shea is from Mt. Pleasant and is the daughter of Sean and Shauna Rawlinson. For her talent she will perform a monologue. Her social impact initiative is “Peace of Mind.”
Bethany Jessop
Bethany is from Fayette and is the daughter of Samuel and Megan Jessop. She will perform a vocal solo for her talent. Her social impact initiative is “Breath Easy.”
