Published 3:33 pm Wednesday, June 12, 2024 By Blake Bell Well. I learned a lot this week, to put it mildly. I’ve covered a pretty wide array of events over my career in newspapers, but a statewide competition like Miss Mississippi was a first.
And while it’s the first of what I hope will be many for me here at The Post, I know I’ll never forget this initial experience with the weeklong affair in Vicksburg. Back in April, I was able to cover the Miss Mississippi’s Teen competition and I have to say, I enjoyed it more than I expected I would. You just can’t help but pretty quickly become invested in the journeys these amazing contestants are on.
And with Miss Mississippi, and the stakes being even higher, the level of interest just gets ramped up that much more. And it wasn’t just me getting sucked into the literal pageantry of it all. My son Colin is out of school for the summer and, being just 10, can’t spend the day at home alone.
So he often gets dragged all over town for any newspaper coverage that isn’t dangerous. Now, he’s used to that and has always been a trooper, but for Miss Mississippi, he didn’t seem to mind. And I know what you’re thinking: A 10-year-old boy at Miss Mississippi.
Why would he mind? Well. Dad isn’t quite ready to think about any of that, but Colin was absolutely taken by the talent and spectacle of it all, as much as by the beautiful contestants. By the final night, he had his own top-five prediction loaded up and ready to go.
