This past weekend was the 2015 Miss Empire Rose and Empire Star pageant, to find the two new titleholders in the Miss New York Class of 2015. 
Sarah Hreyo, Miss Empire Star 2014, served as the pageant’s main emcee for the evening. She was joined by Katelynn Smith, Miss Empire Capital Region 2014/Central New York 2015 for Evening Gown, and Stephanie Nasadoski, Miss Empire Rose 2005 for On-Stage Question.
After a very successful year as Miss Empire Rose, serving both the capital region and the Westchester region, Sarah has found a way to stay involved in the Empire pageants family. She has set up and graciously agreed to maintain a website dedicated to the Miss Empire Rose and Empire Star pageants.
As always, the Timeless Tappers, a local dance troupe coached by Empire ED Janet Murphy, performed between phases.
Visiting Queens:
- PC: Robbin Manuel *Not shown in photo
Nearly a dozen titleholders from across the state made the journey to the capital to see which girls would join the empire.
- Meghan Cahill, Miss Altamont Fair*
- Katelynn Smith, Miss Central New York
- Dominique Bianco, Miss Staten Island’s OT
- Haley Curtiss, Miss Empire Rose’s OT
- Kristen Stilwell, Miss Manhattan
- Lauren Crandall, Miss Upstate NY
- Anneliese Trust, Miss Syracuse
- Kyanna Lewis, Miss Flower City
- Willa Hahn, Miss Erie Canal
- Kristina King, Miss Central Square Apple Festival
Each of the girls had a chance to speak about their platform, and preparation for Miss New York.
Fairwell Gift:
Before the two new titleholders received their crown, Sarah gave Janet a fairwell gift to thank her for the great year as a titleholder and show appreciation for being such a supportive director. The portrait is a custom comission drawing from EllieLIllustrations, and features Janet holding the two Empire sashes.
The Competition:
Opening Number:
Lifestyle and Fitness:
Talent:
Evening Gown:
The On-Stage Question portion covered an assortment of difficult topics. Questions included the least favorite phase of competition, why the Miss America Organization is relevant, their dream job, favorite tourist attraction in NYS, and something to remember you. They were also asked how the Affordable Healthcare Act has impacted them personally, their favorite tourist attraction outside of NYS, how winning a title would help them further their platform, the title of their autobiography, who inspires them, best and worst quality, and finally what qualities make you a great titleholder.
Awards:
Overall Interview Award: Madison Manuel
Ken Berry Interview Award: Amanda Rae Davis
Miss Congeniality: Abbey Naumowicz
Non-Finalist Talent Winner: Dana Telese
1st Runner Up: Heather Graves
2nd Runner Up: Amanda Rae Davis
3rd Runner Up: Bianca Mascetelli
Miss Empire Rose 2015 is Madison Manuel
Miss Empire Star 2015 is Marivi Howell-Arza
The PageantFile 