The Miss Bluebird pageant held its inaugural pageant this year, serving as a statewide open for young women across the state. Like other autumn pageants, holding it early in the season gives a full year of preparation for the state pageant and, more importantly, it allows titleholders to have nearly a full year as a local titleholder before potentially earning another full year as Miss New York.

This year, ten beautiful ladies journeyed upstate to Syracuse, New York to compete in the 1st Miss Bluebird Pageant. The contestant list consisted of an assortment of first time MAO contestants, former Outstanding Teens “aging up”, and former titleholders, with talents ranging from vocalists and monologues to hoop dance and instrumentalists.

Contestants

1. Meghan Cahill
   • Talent: Krav Maga Mixed Martial Arts
   • Platform: Man I Feel Like a Woman: Empowering Women through Self Defense
   • Pageant Experience:
     • Miss Altamont Fair 2015
     • Albany Tulip Festival Court
2. Abby Hoag
   • Talent: Dance
   • Platform: Preventing Teenage Suicide
   • Pageant Experience:
     • Repeat Contestant
3. Lauren Schwartzberg
   • Talent: Monologue
   • Platform: Mental Illness is Not a Character Flaw
   • Pageant Experience:
     • NAM NY National Top 5
4. Catherine Manett
   • Talent: Hoop Dance
   • Platform: Promoting Literacy
   • Pageant Experience:
     • Miss Long Island Teen USA 2012
     • Miss East Coast American Nation 2014
     • Miss Queens 2015
5. Michaela Kenny
   • Talent: Flute
   • Platform: Mental Health Matters
   • Pageant Experience:
     • Teen NY 2009
     • 4th RU at Miss Finger Lakes 2015
     • 4th RU at Miss Flower City 2015
6. Abbey Naumowicz
   • Talent: Vocal
   • Platform: Just the Way You Are
   • Pageant Experience
     • Miss Altamont Fair 2014
     • 2nd RU at Miss Empire Rose 2014
     • 3rd RU at Miss Syracuse 2015
     • 1st RU at Miss Mohawk Valley 2015
7. Jillian Larson
   • Talent: Vocal
   • Platform: Be Smart and Keep Art
   • Pageant Experience:
     • Miss Finger Lakes’ Outstanding Teen 2015, 3rd RU
8. Gabrielle Walter
   • Talent: Vocal
   • Platform: One Less: Uncovering Sexual Assault on College Campuses
   • Pageant Experience:
     • 1st RU at Miss Buffalo 2015
9. Amanda Abdagic
   • Talent: Poetic Monologue
   • Platform: Coming Together to Say NO to Bullying
   • Pageant Experience:
     • Miss Mohawk Valley 2013
     • 2nd RU at Miss Mohawk Valley 2015
10. Alia Bajorek
    • Talent: Ballet en Pointe
    • Platform: Families Impacted by Breast Cancer
    • Pageant Experience:
      • Miss Rochester’s Outstanding Teen 2014, 4th Runner Up at MNYOT
      • Miss Flower City’s Outstanding Teen 2015

Remember a few years back when the NYC Local had publicly announced they would be crowning Miss New York City and Miss Cosmopolitan, but at the last minute were able to crown a third titleholder? Deja-vu, the Miss Bluebird pageant announced late afternoon on the day of the pageant that there would be two girls going home with crowns.

Before

After

Coincidence? We think not. ;)

Between the announcement of he second title and the crowning announcement, some tried to guess what the title would be. The local was formed on the concept of being a true statewide open, where the winner could represent her region each year, so it could be assumed the second title would be able to be represented throughout the state as well.

Miss Beaver? The state bird is the Bluebird, and the state mammal is the Beaver. NY already has Empire Rose, the state flower;

Miss Sugar Maple? The state tree is the sugar maple, but there’s already the unaffiliated Maple Queen system; 

We decided the new title was probably going to be Miss Excelsior. Excelsior is the state motto afterall, which stands for ever upward in latin. (No surprise ever upward in pageantry has been the Pageant File’s slogan the past 4 years. Not that the new title was chosen based on TPF slogan, just two great ideas from the same State Motto.) The Miss Bluebird Org foreshadowed this addition when their slogan subtly changed from “Soaring to Victory” to “Soaring Ever Upward”.

—

Awards:

• Miracle Maker: Abigail Hoag
• People’s Choice: Lauren Schwartzberg
• Miss Congeniality: Meghan Cahill
• Academic Excellence: Lauren Schwartzberg
• Community Service: Gabrielle Walter
• Non-Finalist Awards:
  • Outstanding Swimsuit: Catherine Manett
  • Outstanding Interview: Meghan Cahill
  • Outstanding Talent: Amanda Abdagic
  • Outstanding Evening Gown: Meghan Cahill

Crowning:

• 1st Runner Up: Lauren Schwartzberg
• 2nd Runner Up: Alia Bajorek

Miss Bluebird: Gabrielle Walter and Miss Excelsior: Jillian Larson

Miss Bluebird’s Outstanding Teen: Deayza-Marie Peebles

Miss Excelsior’s Outstanding Teen: Amanda St. Amour