Fort Worth Celebrates Miss Fort Worth Being Crowned Miss Texas

That is Miss Fort Worth, Ashley Melnick, about to be crowned Miss Texas #75.

Fort Worth took the coveted Miss Texas crown, Friday night, at a gala affair in Texas Hall at the University of Texas at Arlington.

In addition to Miss Fort Worth the other top finalists were runner-up, Miss Irving, Miss Arlington, Miss Frisco and Miss White Settlement.

Dozens of Texans who had previously worn the Miss Texas crown were in attendance, wearing their historical pageant gowns. One former Miss Texas said she and the others who had been Miss Texas were not telling how many girdles and how much duct tape it took to get them into their gowns.

As part of the entertainment part of the pageant former Miss Texases performed bits from their talent performances.

Beauty pageants were already on my mind, prior to last night's Fort Worth win, due to watching Kathy Griffin judge a kiddie beauty pageant on her Life on the D-List show. I have long thought beauty pageants are a bit perverse.

I do not know if Fort Worth is planning a city wide celebration to, well, celebrate Miss Fort Worth being Miss Texas. I would think there would be. We had a city wide celebration when some obscure Washington, D.C. lobbying group named Fort Worth as one of the Most Livable Communities in America. Other towns that knew it was a bogus, self-serving award, politely said "thank you" and then ignored it.

But, not Fort Worth. We had a celebration.

I know that my former state participates in the Miss America contest. I assume that is what Miss Fort Worth Texas is moving on to. But, I do not remember ever reading news of someone, from some city in Washington, becoming Miss Washington. Surely in all the years I lived in the Skagit Valley, one of the girls from one of the valley towns must have become Miss Washington.

But I have no memory of this. Was it not considered news if Miss Mount Vernon, Burlington, Sedro Woolley, Anacortes, La Conner, Concrete, Lyman, Hamilton, Newhalem or Rockport became Miss Washington?

I'm sure Mount Vernon would have had a city wide celebration had a Miss Mount Vernon become Miss Washington. Then again, thinking more about it, Mount Vernon was named the Best Small Town in America, or something like that, by something legit. I remember CNN showing up. But, there was no city wide celebration. Mount Vernon is a great town, but I remember thinking, wow, if Mount Vernon is the Best Small Town in America, what are the worst small towns like?

Okay, I looked it up, in Wikipedia, in 1998 Mount Vernon was rated the #1 "Best Small City in America" by the New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities.

Well, I am out of here, going on a walk. I'm trying to get in top shape for when I tryout for the Mr. Fort Worth contest. My goal is to become Mr. Texas and then beat Mr. Washington in the Mr. America contest.