MRA Pageant - Part 3

Thursday morning, we again hurried down to the French Market buffet, and again Megan was dressed in jeans, so we knew that her speech would be Friday morning. That worked well for us, because more family and friends were arriving and would be able to attend the speeches on Friday morning.
The President's luncheon was held at noon at the Orleans. The contestants wore beautiful dresses of leather and came in carrying their state flag. What an honor for Megan to be able to represent the state of Montana. After a delicious lunch and introductions and awards to the many of those serving on the executive board of Miss Rodeo America, the girls were each asked a current events impromptu question. The questions covered a wide range - from politics to general ethics questions - and all were questions that could be answered easily by the contestants. If you are looking at the pictures, Megan wore a light green dress which was made for her by Julie Ewing. Each girl was presented with a beautiful Black Hills gold necklace from Landstrom's.
Horsemanship interviews and coronation rehearsals took up the rest of the day, until late afternoon when the contestants were treated to the first performance of the WNFR. We also attended the first evening's performance and what an experience! Although our seats were high in the Thomas & Mack, we had a great view of both the bucking chutes and the timed event end of the arena. I was amazed at the speed of the rodeo. It was non-stop action from beginning to end, and I don't think the announcers took a breathe the whole time! We had been told that the queen contestants could sit with their parents during the rodeo, but with the huge crowd most of us were not able to connect with our girls. After the rodeo, some of our group went out to the South Point to watch Flint Rasmussen present the night's go-round buckles.
Friday morning Megan gave her state speech. She did a fantastic job! Her taped interview was also very good. It was obvious that she had done that a few times already during her year! Cowboy Christmas at the Las Vegas convention center was the afternoon program. The crowd to bid on the auctions was standing-room-only and the girls had fun presenting their purses for bidding. Each contestant brought a purse filled with prizes to be auctioned, with proceeds going to the MRA scholarship fund. Offerings varied from sports packages (including rodeo of course) to ski trips to home cooked goodies. Afterwards, we got to spend a little time with Megan before she was whisked away for more coronation practice.
Saturday morning was the Mother-daughter breakfast at the French Market Buffet. The judges spoke to the girls and encouraged them to "swing for the fences" throughout the rest of their lives.
Coronation was held in the Showroom at the Orleans. The lights and stage decoration was impressive, and the girls did a choreographed dance before changing into their fancy dresses.
Each one was introduced and escorted down to the microphone by either Donny Gay or Dan Miller, where they introduced themselves and their parents. Bob Tallman said good-bye to Ashley and caused some tears as she did her final walk as Miss Rodeo America. Then it was time for the Top 10 contestants to be announced. What suspense! It was so exciting to hear Megan's name called and watch her walk down the stairs to take her place in the line-up! We were thrilled!!! It brought a tear to my eye to see Megan up there in that group! Top 5 was announced and then they gave the awards for each category. You'll have to look at the Miss Rodeo America website for all the results, because I don't remember everything. I was just focused on Megan as she received her buckle for Top 10! Miss Rodeo Kansas was crowned Miss Rodeo America 2008, with Miss Rodeo Arizona as first Runner-Up.
Afterwards the contestants raced back to their rooms to change and join their families. We managed to pull together some tables in the back of one of the restaurants and had a fun meal with 20+ members of our family and friends. It was the first time all week that Megan had been able to see everyone, so it was great! Thanks to everyone that attended the pageant and supported her. We really had a huge group of family and friends here throughout the week, and it made this a trip that we will remember for a lifetime. Many of the group toured Hoover Dam, attended various Las Vegas shows, ate fantastic meals, and lost our share in the casinos. And of course, everyone attended one or more performances of the WNFR.
What a wonderful week!!