Pictured right to left: 2010 Blossom Queen - Taylor Symons, me, 2009 Blossom Queen - Trista DeLaRosa
For 8 years now, I’ve been the Director of the Blossom Pageant. The primary reason for the pageant is to select a Queen and Court to reign over my community’s 72 year old tradition, the Canon City Music and Blossom Festival. The Blossom Pageant was my introduction to pageantry in 1998, when I competed for my first time. The following year, I won the coveted title of Blossom Queen. It was during my reign that I realized that I someday wanted to become director. Pageantry is my passion, and it’s been a privilege working with and mentoring the young ladies who participate in this program.
This year's pageant was on March 20th, and theme was “Learning to Fly,” which I choose because I am inspired by the strength and power of the butterfly. The butterfly starts off in a cocoon, sheltered and hidden. As growth takes place in the cocoon, it begins to break free from its walls. However, this process does not come without struggle. But it is the struggle, in the end, that gives the caterpillar its exquisite wings. Once broken free, the butterfly spreads its wings, and takes flight. I tell my candidates that this process reminds me so much of their journey to the crown. They start off as caterpillars hiding in their cocoon, and by the time the pageant rolls around they spread their wings and fly!
Twenty-six girls participated this year, and all were worthy of the title. Of those twenty-six, the 2010 Blossom Queen and her Court were selected, and they’ve done a fabulous job thus far of representing the community.
Here I am with my 2010 candidates, some of my staff, and the 2009 Queen and Court.
With my Assistant Directors and my Queen and Court
Pictured from left to right: Miss Personality – Hadlie Dew, Assistant Director – Amanda Romano, 1st Attendant – Danielle DesForges, me, 2010 Blossom Queen – Taylor Symons, Assistant Director – Jamie Patrick, 2nd Attendant – Sonora Hill
My great panel of judges and the new Blossom Queen
Pictured from left to right: Jennifer Hart (Mrs. Nebraska 2009), 2010 Blossom Queen – Taylor Symons, Emily Stark, Russell Dampier
I attended the Million Lights of Hope Gala on March 13. The theme for the evening was “Vintage Vegas”, and some of the guests even wore 1920’s inspired outfits! The event featured a silent auction, and a live auction which I assisted with. The gala benefited the HOPE Center, a 48 year old organization that focuses on early childhood education and care and vocational training for adults with developmental disabilities. Services are provided to at-risk children, children with developmental disabilities, and inner city children who are gifted. Many of the children served are from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
I couldn’t resist a photo op in front of the “Las Vegas” sign!
Here I am with the organizer of the event, Gerie Grimes
Showcasing the hockey pucks signed by Patrick Roy during the live auction
I was in charge of “ticket duty” during the evening, where I announced the winning tickets for prize holders.
With “celebrity emcee” of the night, Gloria Neal.
My beautiful mom attended this event with me as my guest.
As a part of the Canon City Music and Blossom Festival Pageant, which I have directed for the past 8 years, I have incorporated a community service effort for the candidates to take part in. I felt that it was important to encourage the candidates to participate in an event that showed our community that the pageant was much more than one glamorous night on stage.
After much deliberation on what type of event I wanted the candidates to be involved with, and more importantly WHAT organization I wanted us to assist, it finally came to me - animals. I have always had a deep compassion for animals, and feel that my pets make my life complete. So I created a walk that would benefit the animals of my community.
This year I organized the 2nd Annual "Tails on the Trail" Walk, which is a walk for both people and their furry friends to participate in. All the proceeds went towards the Fremont County Humane Society. The event was hugely successful, raising over $2,500. The Blossom Pageant candidates play a huge role in this event by getting people pre-registered to participate, in addition to getting monetary donations. To encourage the contestants to get a large amount of pre-registrations, an award is given on-stage the night of the Blossom Pageant to the girl who gets the most donations and pre-registrations. The winner this year got almost 30 people pre-registered!
The "Tails on the Trail" Walk was on March 13, and the weather was absolutely perfect! We had over 150 people participate, with many of them bringing their pets.
Pictured with the 2010 Blossom Pageant Candidates and in the front row is my good friend and assistant director, Jamie Patrick (pictured left), my dog Neiko, and me (pictured on the right).
This is the the inspiration for this event and THE TAIL of the "Tails on the Trail" walk.....my dog, Neiko.
As part of my Mrs. Colorado prize package, I received a scholarship to the Dale Carnegie program. Prior to taking the course, I had heard wonderful things about it, and needless to say it has already exceeded my expectations. We are in our third week of the twelve week course, and each week we have the opportunity to give a two minute speech on a designated topic. After everyone has given their speech during that session, the class votes for who they feel should win two different awards.....the "Outstanding Performance Award" and the "Breakthrough Performance Award." The winners of these awards receive an official Dale Carnegie writing pin, which can only be attained by winning one of these awards. So these pins become quite coveted while taking this course. Our speech this week was about "Your Biggest Achievement", and we were asked to bring a prop symbolizing this achievement. I choose to talk about my journey to the Mrs. Colorado title, and my prop was my crown. I was absolutely honored to win the "Outstanding Performance Award," and my first Dale Carnegie pin! Dale Carnegie is a wonderful program, and I urge you to check out their website and consider taking one of their fabulous courses! www.dalecarnegiecolorado.com
Pictured with my Dale Carnegie class, holding my first pin after winning the "Outstanding Performance Award"
The Ronald McDonald House held their annual “Storybook Ball” on February 27th, and I was honored to attend the event as Cinderella! The event is based off of storybook character every year, and this year they choose “Cinderella” as the theme. It was decorated beautifully with everything in shades of blue, castles, and even silver pumpkins! Cinderella sang the words “A dream is a wish your heart makes”, and this ball was a dream come true for grown up women who still believe in fairy tales! The Ball featured many items available to bid on in auctions, with all the proceeds benefiting the Ronald McDonald House. The purpose of the Ronald McDonald House is to provide low-cost, comfortable housing to out-of-town parents needing to be near their hospitalized children.
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!!! Here I am with my Fairy Godmother….and what a perfect Fairy Godmother she was! She came equipped with a bag of “wishes” for all the guests.
This little girl was a beauty! I think I see a future Miss America!
What would a Ronald McDonald House event would be without Ronald McDonald himself? My dear friend and Mrs. Colorado 1994, Debi Moore, attended the Ball with me, and here we are pictured with THE Ronald McDonald!
My job during the evening was to encourage guests to bid on a beautiful Tiffany’s sterling silver bracelet, which I “modeled”. I was more than happy to strike a pose while wearing something from Tiffany’s!
This Ball was the PERFECT opportunity for women to dress up in gowns, and these two ladies looked phenomenal in theirs!
February 26 and 27 were the annual Mrs. Colorado "Shopping Days". During "Shopping Day", the candidates for the upcoming Mrs. Colorado Pageant go to the Royal Image Boutique and pick up their opening production number dresses, competition swimsuits/sarongs, and have the opportunity to SHOP for great items at the boutique! Even though I didn't need an opening production number dress or swimsuit, I still had fun shopping for many of the items that I will wear during pageant week and for the production. Raeanne of the Royal Image provides the majority of my amazing outfits/gowns.
I had the opportunity to meet and greet many of the 2010 contestants, and was impressed and amazed by them! They are such a lovely group of women, and I'm so happy that I don't have to be in the judges' shoes this year! It was so fun to see their excitement as they spoke of their preparations for the pageant. The pageant will be here before we know it....mark your calendars for May 13 (Preliminaries) and May 15 (Finals).
The Mrs. Colorado Organization has had a long standing relationship with the Veterans Hospital, and now I understand why. I made my first visit to the hospital on February 16th, and was humbled by what a remarkable experience it was. Every person that I met and spoke with was so appreciative and touched that I was there visiting, but it was me who truly inspired by them. These brave men and women have fought for our country and our freedom in many wars and trying times in our nation’s history. It was an honor to be in their presence.
Emily Stark, Director of the Mrs. Colorado Organziation, went with me during my visit to the Vetarans Hospital. Here we are pictured with our volunteer guide, Nate. He was great, and has such a big heart for these vets!
My husband and I attended the Family Homestead’s “For the Love of Family" Gala on February 6th. Family Homestead is an incredible organization that provides housing to homeless families in the Denver Metro area, with a mission to help end homelessness. In addition to offering housing to the homeless, Family Homestead provides ongoing education to aid families in acquiring their own permanent housing.
Here I am pictured with the director and one of the founding members of the Family Homestead.
With the emcee of the evening, Tracy Taylor (pictured on the left) and a guest at the event, Kathy Borlo (on the right)
With my handsome hubby, Scott!
I modeled the diamond necklace that was auctioned off that evening, and here I am wearing it. Many great items were available in the silent and live auctions, which raised a lot of money to help aid the homeless.
On stage with the auctioneer, encouraging people to bid on the diamond necklace.
Continuing the work started by Christina Sacha (pictured far right), Mrs. Colorado 2008, the Mrs. Colorado organization gathers to support the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women event at the Denver Ferrari dealership.
During the event, people were given the opportunity to test drive a Ferrari in exchange for a donation made to the American Heart Association. Needless to say, the event was a huge success!
My husband, Scott, has traveled to many of my appearances with me during my year as Mrs. Colorado, but I am confident that this was his favorite of them all. He was one of the first in line to make a donation to the American Heart Association and test drive a Ferrari. His direct quote was “Now I know how you felt when you won Mrs. Colorado!” He REALLY loves Ferrari!
This was as close as I got to a test drive. As you can see, I am sitting in a Ferrari that is firmly planted in the showroom! I was just a little too nervous to drive such an amazing, and expensive, car.
One of my favorite appearances to make since I've been Mrs. Colorado has been to appear on Fox 31/KDVR during "Good Day Colorado" in a segment called "Fox Box." I have such a great time talking current events and hot topics with the host of the show, Shaul Turner and two other panel guests. In addition to myself, the other guests were Fox Box regular Uncle Nasty of KBPI 106.7 and the hilarious comedian Pablo Francisco. The issues we discussed were the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti, the current Mayor of Denver (John Hickenlooper) running for Colorado Governor in our next election, the startling announcement of Simon Cowell leaving American Idol, and public schools in Denver not wanting to have a soul food luncheon honoring Martin Luther King Day. Being able to be a titleholder and appear on a show such as Fox Box has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to represent women and pageantry.
December 4th I spent a wonderful evening at the annual Mrs. Colorado Christmas Party. The tradition is for the Mrs. Colorado who gave up her crown that year to host the Christmas Party. So this year, Christina Sacha, Mrs. Colorado 2008, hosted a wonderful party at North in downtown Cherry Creek. We had a wonderful dinner, followed by a custom made “Christmas with the Queens” cake that even had a chocolate crown made after our state crown on top. As our gifts from Christina, we each received a hand painted martini glass, and a cook book which featured a collection of recipes from Mrs. Colorado titleholders. Christina did a phenomenal job organizing the party, and my head is already spinning with ideas for when I throw the party next year!
15 Mrs. Colorado titleholders celebrating “Christmas with the Queens”
Here is the AMAZING cake that Christina had custom made, it was almost too beautiful to eat! Christina ‘08, Marney ’06, and myself
Debi ‘94 and me
Tiffany ’07 and me
Christina ’08, Jennifer ’05, me and Raeanne ‘00
Me and Emily ‘02/Mrs. Colorado Executive Director
Tricia ’89 and me
I just had to take a picture of our beautiful table!
On December 13th I co-hosted the Jingle Bell run alongside Murphy Huston from KOSI 101. Over 2,000 people came out to support and participate in this wonderful event that benefits the Arthritis Foundation. Over $74,000 was raised for this noble cause. This run differs from most, as the participants are encouraged to dress in festive running attire.
These little dogs were all decked out for the pet costume competition
With Frosty and his helper
At the starting line before all the runners took off
On December 12, I spent the afternoon greeting children and festive holiday shoppers in downtown Manitou Springs at the Clock Tower with Santa Claus. It was so much fun to see all the kids with wonderment in their eyes telling Santa what they wanted for Christmas. What a great way to get into the holiday spirit!
This gentleman made a fabulous Santa Claus!
Of course I had to get my picture with the adorable bull dog
This little girl was so cute! She looked like she strolled right off of the Gap Christmas commercial!
Happy Holidays to you all! I find it hard to believe that Christmas time is upon us, and 2010 is right around the corner! I hope you’ve had a wonderful 2009, and may your new year be full of much happiness!
I've held the title of Mrs. Colorado for 7 months now, and it's been the ride of a lifetime! As I look back on this past year, it's made me very sentimental because I'm over halfway through with what will go down in history as one of the greatest years of my life. During my years competing for the title, I thoroughly enjoyed every single experience that I had on my journey to the crown. And being Mrs. Colorado has been a dream come true! So to those of you who have ever thought about competing in this pageant, and would like to experience all that it has to offer, I would like to ecourage you to take that leap of faith and DO IT! This, I promise you, is an incredible journey! Now go start your's!
"All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them."
On November 20th, I had the opportunity to appear for my second time on Fox 31/KDVR during “Good Day Colorado” on a segment called “Fox Box.” The host of the show, Shaul Turner, myself, and two other guests talked about topics currently making the news right now. We discussed the new book released by Sarah Palin, the controversial issue of women waiting until the age of 50 for mammograms, the violent acts displayed by a female soccer player from New Mexico, and reasons for addiction in light of Great American Smoke Out. I have really enjoyed being a part of the show, and hope to make a return appearance soon!
On the set with the very talented and beautiful host of Fox Box, Shaul Turner.
I was happy to support Raeanne Duca of the Royal Image Boutique at her holiday open house. She has tons of great clothes and accessories for the holiday season. In addition to her clothing, she has a very large selection of pageant gowns. Check out her website at www.royalimageboutique.com to get some great holiday must-haves!
I was honored when my director, Emily Stark, told me that her daughter had the opportunity to invite one special woman in her life to her Girl Scouts Poetry Reading, and she chose me! It was great seeing these girls present themselves so well, and how involved they are with their community at such a young age.
Me and Lexi, the sweetheart who chose me as her special guest.
On November 15 I participated in my good friend, DJ McDermott’s runway show. The show was entitled “Black and Bling” and showcased DJ’s book entitled "Updo-ology". I acted as one of the models for the runway show, along with some of my “Queen Sisters”, and other pageant titleholders. DJ and his assistant Courtnee styled all of the models’ hair, Kari Kisch was the makeup artist, and Megan Anderson of Graphique Photography took photos. The event was a great success and a lot of fun!
The “Queen Sisters” before the runway show
Newly crowned Miss Colorado USA, Jessica Hartman, and Miss Colorado Teen USA, Courtney Carter
Pictured right to left: 2010 Blossom Queen - Taylor Symons, me, 2009 Blossom Queen - Trista DeLaRosa 
